And Your Enemies Closer
by sockie1000
Summary: The team is still reeling from the break-up and arrests.  Can they come together to clear their own?  This story picks up where "Oia'i'o"  the season 1 finale  ends. NOW COMPLETE! WHOHOO! :D
1. Chapter 1

Title: And Your Enemies Closer

Author: sockie1000

Summary: The team is still reeling from the break-up and arrests. Can they come together to clear their own?

Author's Note #1: This story picks up where "Oia'i'o" (the season 1 finale) ends. It is also a sequel to "Keep Your Friends Close". You should be able to follow most of this story even if you have not read "Friends", but there will be references to events that occurred in that story. So, if you want the full effect, read it first or you can cheat and just read the epilogue.  
>(You can find "Keep Your Friends Close" by clicking on my name.)<p>

Author's Note #2: This time, I am very happy to have Cokie316, my usual awesome beta, and well as Rogue Tomato, providing me her input. They are great, and as always, any mistakes are mine.

Author's Note #3: Yes, I did actually scream when Steve said the title to the stories in the finale last night. Sad, but true.

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Everyone else had left long ago.

Steve stood there, alone, his hands clasped in front of his body. He looked down at the ground and stared.

His eyes, ever focused on details, honed in on the edge of the boundary. The dark brown earth stood in glaring contrast to the lush green grass of spring; a stark line clearly delineating the land of the living from the land of the dead.

His eyes followed the line around and rested when they reached the center of the upper edge, where a small American flag swayed softly in the breeze. One day soon, the flag would be joined by a cold, marble stone, a permanent marker of a life that ended before its time.

A small bird flew into his field of sight and he watched as it landed in the grass. It chirped and hopped until it came to the border of the freshly turned earth. The bird stopped and its head darted around, looking for danger from an unseen foe. It looked up briefly at Steve, as if watching his silent guard. And then, after a few seconds, and presumably confident of its safety, the bird tentatively hopped onto the grave and resumed its song.

If only it was that easy for humans, Steve thought. But fields of vision were rarely that clear, nor enemies as readily apparent.

Steve shifted his weight slightly and heard a soft clink of metal. He remembered the first time he heard his medals clink on his chest. He had received a bronze star and a purple heart at the same time by rescuing several fellow SEALs who had been pinned down during a busted op. At the time, and still today, he felt he was just doing his job like he had been trained to do. The citations, while nice, were unnecessary. His true reward was in the safe return of his teammates and the pride and satisfaction that came from a job well done.

But today, the clink of metal did not remind him of his victory, but rather of his failure.

He heard a distant roll of thunder and knew the rain would begin soon. Storms formed and blew up quickly in the islands. It could be sunny one minute and literally be pouring down rain the next. The breeze picked up to a soft wind, carrying the fresh smell of rain to him. He inhaled deeply, savoring the sweet scent.

The smell of water had always appealed to him. Rain smelled clean, like newness. The ocean smelled salty, of course, but Steve had always equated it as both the comforting smell of his island home and personal freedom. The ocean had always been a place to which he could escape and truly be himself; as a child, spending hours, playing in the surf; as a teenager, swimming alone, pushing himself to see how far out and how fast he could go; and later as an adult, choosing the life of the sea as his profession. He sighed, knowing how much he was going to miss it.

The thunder rumbled again, this time much louder. The storm was getting closer and would be here soon. The little bird also noticed the signs and flew off to seek shelter in a nearby tree.

Steve turned to his left and saw Chin standing in the parking lot beside the car, dressed in his HPD uniform. Even at this distance, Steve could see the mixture of both patience and pity on Chin's face. Always calm and kind, Chin did not motion or gesture for Steve to speed things up. But Steve knew he would have to leave soon. He could only stand here, staring, for so long.

The wind began to blow more steadily and the first few raindrops began to fall. They hit his face and stung his eyes. The rain intensified and began rolling in rivulets down his face. He blinked a few times and wiped his face with his hand, grateful for the cover of rain.

Steve stared at the grave for another moment. His eyes gave testament to the depth of his resolve. He rubbed his hand over his mouth a few times and then dropped it back in front of his body. It was time to go. He had to say it now, while he still had a chance. He cleared his throat and then said, softy, "I'm sorry... I should have seen it, but I didn't." He cleared his throat again. "Thank you… I'm going to make this right. I promise you."

His words said, he looked at the flag, now whipping in the wind, one more time. Then he turned, his eyes downcast, and slowly walked to Chin and the car.

"Are you ok, Boss?" Chin asked, gently.

Steve could not meet his eyes. He managed a single nod.

Chin did not appear convinced, but let it slide. "Ok, then," he said. He opened the back door of the car and gently placed his hand on top of Steve's head. "Watch it getting in. Wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Steve allowed Chin to maneuver him into the car. Steve felt, rather than heard, the car door shut. He stared intently at his hands, still clasped together in front of his body, encircled by steel cuffs. The glint of metal stood out in stark contrast to the orange jumpsuit he was wearing.

Steve barely noticed that Chin was now in the driver's seat of the police cruiser. He started up the car and began to pull away from the cemetery. Steve wanted to look back, but could not bring himself to do so.

All he could do was stare at his cuffs and wonder, "how did it _ever_ come to this?" 

_to be continued..._

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	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for all the alerts, favs, and especially reviews, guys. They motivate me to write faster. And hopefully, better, too. :)

Chapter 2

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_Earlier that day_

Steve glanced up from the back seat of the sheriff's car as they slowly drove down King Street towards the courthouse.

Countless media trucks were set up on the curb, their antennae pointed towards the sky, ready to broadcast the latest speculation. Speculation about him. About what he had done. Or allegedly done. Innocent until proven guilty really did not exist anymore in the era of broadcast ratings.

Steve could see the reporters all vying for a prime spot in front of the 5-0 Headquarters, and, perhaps more importantly, the King Kamehameha statue. What better place to report the death of the very popular governor than in front of the statue of the first king of Hawaii? And to make it even better, the man who killed her worked in the building right behind it. If the reporter stood at just the right angle, the camera would be able to get both the statue and the 5-0 Headquarters in the background behind them while they conjured and fabricated "truth". Talk about ratings gold.

There was nothing like a great visual to go with the crime of the decade. Or maybe the century, Steve brooded. His name would go down in infamy, dragging along with him the names of his parents and grandfather, not to mention Danny's, Kono's, and Chin's names as well. Guilt by association; it was another inescapable fact of the modern age.

It was not the type of legacy Steve planned on leaving when he agreed to head up 5-0.

Then again, if he had known at the time the real reason for 5-0's creation, he never would have agreed to lead it in the first place. Granted, the team had made a lot of arrests, significantly decreased the crime rate in Hawaii, and helped many people in their few short months of existence. And Steve was able find and arrest both Victor Hesse and Hiro Noshimuri. But to know that he had been a pawn the whole time, and that he had taken people, good people, who were now his friends, and allowed them to be played as well… well, that it made it all the worse.

Steve looked back down, thankful that the cameras were all on the plaza and not on the street, trying to catch a glimpse of him as he rode to his arraignment for both Laura Hills and Governor Jameson's murders. The car turned the corner onto Punchbowl Street and drove down a few blocks before a cacophony of loud noises made him look back up.

So much for being thankful.

The media frenzy in front of the courthouse made the one he had just passed in front of the 5-0 HQ look like mere child's play. All of the local news channels had trucks there, in addition to CNN, Fox, MSNBC and countless other stations. If they reported news, they were there, ready to broadcast his disgrace to the world. The cameramen pushed and shoved their way towards the car as they approached. Their cameras were turned on him, trying to get a glimpse of the Navy SEAL turned protector of Hawaii who has shot the governor in cold blood.

It only got worse as they slowed to turn into the underground parking. Cameras and reporters swarmed right up to the car, shouting questions. There were so many of them it was hard to discern what they were shouting individually, but Steve surmised it was something along the lines of "why did you murder the governor?"

Steve looked back down. If only they knew the truth. If only they knew the governor was dirty and that the real hero in this story was being laid to rest that very morning, undoubtedly without any fanfare. Laura Hills' murder went from front page news to page 15 in the split second it took Wo Fat to fire two gunshots.

The car slowly made its way through the mob and, finally, into the parking garage. The reporters were forced to stay outside by sheriff deputies and uniformed HPD officers, but Steve could still hear their shouting as the car stopped right in front of the elevators.

His car door opened and Steve looked up, right into the face of Chin Ho Kelly.

Chin gave Steve a wry smile. "Sorry about all the reporters. Keeping them out of the garage was the best we could do."

Steve got out of the car and nodded. "Thanks."

Four deputies walked with them as they slowly walked to the elevator. Their speed was hindered by the leg irons around Steve's ankles which were attached to his handcuffs by a chain. Chin pushed the elevator up button and looked appraisingly at Steve while they waited.

To say Steve looked bad was an understatement. His eyes were bloodshot, their redness only magnified by the large, puffy bags under his eyes. His hair was rumpled, he had not shaved in days, and his complexion looked pale, almost sickly, especially when compared to the bright orange jumpsuit he was wearing. He hardly looked like the Steve McGarrett that Chin knew.

"When was the last time you slept?" Chin asked.

Steve shook his head. "Not sure."

He had been up all night, again, this time being questioned by HPD. Steve had spent the first hour of the interrogation yelling at the police. He told them that the governor was dirty, that she had ordered Laura killed, and that Wo Fat had tased him and murdered the governor. But Steve could tell his revelations were falling on deaf ears and eventually, he sat in silence. There was no use wasting his energy when nobody believed him.

The elevator opened and they all filed inside, riding up to the third floor in silence. They exited and walked to a private holding room, where Steve would wait until the hearing began. Two of the deputies took up their posts, guarding the outside of the room, while the other two escorted Steve and Chin into the windowless room and stood against the wall. The room was a decent size, with a table in the center of the room surrounded by several hard, blue plastic chairs. There was a closed door to the left and an open door to the right.

Chin walked over to a table and picked up a small, Ziploc bag. He walked back over and handed it to Steve. "Thought you might need these," he said.

Steve looked at the bag and smiled half-heartedly at the black plastic comb, toothbrush, and small tube of toothpaste. "Are you trying to tell me my breath stinks?"

"Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but now that you mention it…" Chin grinned. "Sorry I couldn't get you a razor. Everything had to be cleared through the courthouse security and giving a SEAL a potential weapon just wasn't going to fly."

"Well, evidently they haven't seen what I can do with a comb," Steve joked quietly, the humor not reaching his eyes. Then he nodded solemnly. "Thanks, Chin. I appreciate it."

"Bathroom's over there," Chin said, pointing to the open door on the right side of the room. "I'll need to escort you for security purposes and you can't close the door."

"Can I get any help with these?" Steve asked holding up his hands.

Chin looked over to one of the deputies, who nodded and walked over to Steve, holding a small key. "I can only undo the chain between your hands and legs, and only for a minute. The cuffs stay on," he said, unlocked the chain.

"Thank you," Steve said, nodding.

Steve walked over to the bathroom and stepped inside. He glanced around quickly, looking for a way to escape or anything he could use for a weapon. He was disappointed to only see a stainless steel toilet, bolted down, and a small sink without a mirror. There were no windows or other doors. And no way out.

He sighed and walked over to the sink and turned it on full blast. Chin stood in the doorway, his back to the deputies who were once again standing on the far side wall. Steve repositioned himself, stepping a few inches to the side, so that his face was not visible to the deputies. He took his toothbrush and toothpaste out of the bag slowly, buying as much time as possible.

"Chin," Steve whispered, "I saw Kono at booking. What happened?"

"She was brought in for questioning by Internal Affairs about the break-in at the asset forfeiture locker," Chin replied, his voice low enough that the deputies could not hear him over the sound of the running water. "She didn't get arrested, but they suspended her while they investigate."

Steve closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Then he opened his eyes back up, looking straight ahead at the blank wall above the sink. "I can't let her take the fall for that. It was _my_ call. _I _stole the money. And I'll confess to it the second we get into the courtroom."

"No, _you won't_," Chin said forcefully, his voice still low. "They don't have anything on her, other than an old lady who saw her standing on the street. And they have _nothing _on you. You have to trust us. We'll take care of it. _You can't say a word_."

Steve thought for a moment as he brushed his teeth. Whether he liked it or not, Chin was right. They had nothing on him. And, hopefully, nothing on Kono, either. He would have to sit tight and let the team sort it out. And, if IA was able to come up with concrete proof, then he would step in and take the fall. There was no way he was going to let his crime ruin Kono's life.

Steve rinsed out his mouth and picked up the comb and wet it under the faucet, which was still running. He could only stretch his bathroom visit so long before the deputies got suspicious. He only had time for one more question. "What do you have on the governor's murder?"

"Not much so far. The crime lab is over at the mansion, combing through it. They are also running tests on your clothes and gun."

"Did they get my phone? It was on the governor's desk. I taped our whole conversation."

"I'm not sure, but I'll check into it." Chin glanced back over his shoulder at the deputies eyeing him from the wall. "Time's up," he whispered.

Chin moved from the doorway and Steve turned off the faucet and walked back into the holding room.

One of the deputies walked back over to Steve, who held out his hands and allowed the chain to relocked. He didn't even have time to sit down in one of the blue plastic chairs before the door on the left side of the room opened, revealing the courtroom.

A different deputy stepped into the room and walked over to Steve. He firmly gripped Steve's left arm and said, "the arraignment is about to start. Come with me."

With one last glance at Chin, Steve walked forward and stepped into the courthouse where his fate awaited. 

_To be continued…_

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	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: A few housekeeping details...

1) I just finished writing chapter 9 and I can tell you this is going to be a long story. But it's also going to be a long summer, so I'm ok with that. Hopefully, you are too. :)

2) I will be posting twice a week, starting now, with the possible exception of the week of July 4th. :)

Now, back to the story...

Chapter 3

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Danny could not stop bouncing his leg.

Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. Over and over again, at a feverish pace.

Danny had always been fidgety. His mother would swear to it. Even before he was born, he was always moving; twisting, turning, kicking, and punching. Mrs. Williams liked to joke that the day her older son was born was one of the happiest days of her life. Because when Danny finally came out (screaming, of course), it meant all that twisting, turning, kicking, and punching would finally happen inside of a crib instead of inside of her.

Danny preferred not to think of himself as fidgety, but as animated. And the more excited, worried, or upset Danny got, the more animated he became.

It was hard for Danny to get any more worried or upset than he was right then, sitting in the front row of the courtroom, waiting for Steve's arraignment to begin.

Up, down. Up, down. Up, down...

Finally, Kono reached over and put her hand on Danny's knee. The bouncing stopped.

He looked over at her, sitting on his left side, and gave a thin smile. He could see his own concern mirrored in her eyes. He could also tell she had not slept well, if at all, after getting home late from being questioned by Internal Affairs.

Danny had not slept well, either. The elation of having his family back again had been quickly pushed aside. Steve had been arrested for not one, but two murders; Kono was being investigated for a crime they all committed; and Chin had taken the easy way out and bailed on them, going back to HPD.

It was hard to believe that his world, that _all_ of their worlds, could come crashing down, so completely, in one day.

Kono patted his knee twice and then removed her hand. She pressed her lips together and nodded at Danny. Her eyes were sad, but he could tell she was trying to convey to him that it would be all right.

But Danny could tell she didn't believe it. And, if truth was told, he didn't know if he believed it either.

Up, down. Up, down, Up, down…

Danny looked around. Kaye was sitting on his right, biting her fingernails down to the nub and trying, rather unsuccessfully, to not look worried. At the back of the room, the media had set up the only two cameras they were allowed by law. At least the three-ring circus from outside had not made its way into the courtroom.

However, it was still standing room only. The seats were filled with various elected officials and plenty of curious gawkers, who had nothing better to do than come down to the courthouse today and witness the spectacle. Undoubtedly, they would later go home to tell all their friends, over a beer, about how they got to be in the same room with the governor's murderer. It made Danny sick to think about it.

He turned his gaze to the front of the room and watched as the Prosecutor, Kathleen Roberts, prepared at her table.

_Ironic,_ Danny thought. The last time he had seen her was just a few months earlier. She had been on their side that time, prosecuting Wo Fat for his crimes against the team- kidnapping, assault, and attempted murder. But Wo Fat had gotten to the judge, and the case was thrown out before it ever went to trial. He walked out a free man.

And now, thanks to Wo Fat, Prosecutor Roberts was going to prosecute Steve for not one, but two murders he did not commit. The villain had been set free and the hero was on trial for his crimes. When Danny was younger, he thought things like that only happened in comic books.

Now, he knew better.

Up, down. Up, down. Up, down…

Danny looked at Steve's lawyer, sitting at the table in front and slightly to the left of him. He had never met the man, but had been told his name was Bill Jordan. He had short, clipped hair and was wearing a perfectly pressed suit. _Must be another ex-Navy guy_, Danny smirked. Not that Danny expected anything different. Steve was nothing if not loyal.

Danny's attention was redirected when he saw a sheriff open a door on the right side of the courtroom. He disappeared through the door, leaving it open, and reappeared a minute later, escorting Steve inside the room.

Danny's leg stopped bouncing.

Seeing Steve shackled and brought in like a common criminal was both heartbreaking and infuriating at the same time. Danny heard Kono's breath catch, and he reached over and took her hand. He gave it a quick, gentle squeeze and then released it. He felt Jenna shift uncomfortably in her seat to his right.

Danny scrubbed his chin with his right hand and studied Steve closely as he walked towards the defense table. He looked a bit worn around the edges, to say the least, but, thankfully, not nearly as crazed as he looked the night before at the Governor's mansion.

Steve scanned the faces in the courtroom for a moment, his eyes settling once he found Danny. Danny dropped his hand from his face and he and Steve exchanged a quick, silent conversation.

Danny raised his eyebrows. _You ok? _

_Yeah._

_We'll get you out. _

Steve gave Danny a curt nod. _I know_.

Steve quickly glanced at Kono and nodded to her as well. _ It's going to be ok_.

Kono gave Steve the same sad, unconvinced look she had given Danny a few minutes before.

Steve nodded to her again. _It will. I promise._ Then he turned and faced the front of the courtroom, next to his lawyer, as the judge walked in.

"All rise," the court clerk said, "court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Keone now presiding over the Honolulu Circuit Court."

Judge Keone walked in and took his bench. He peered at the courtroom over his bifocals for a moment, surveying the crowd. Satisfied everything was in order, he picked up a small stack of papers lying in front of him. He glanced over them and then began to speak.

"The defendant, Steven J. McGarrett, is charged with two counts of first degree murder, one for Governor Patricia Jameson and one for Governor Jameson's assistant, Ms. Laura Hills. How does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty, your Honor," Steve replied, resolutely.

"Plea is entered as not guilty," the judge acknowledged. He pulled out his calendar and briefly consulted it. "A preliminary hearing is hereby scheduled for two weeks from today."

"The defense would like to request bail, your honor," Mr. Jordan said. "My client is an upstanding member of the community who has dedicated his entire life to the military and law enforcement."

Prosecutor Roberts glanced over at Steve, apologetically. Then she turned to the judge and said, "your Honor, the prosecution requests that bail be denied. The defendant has been charged with the murder of the Governor and her assistant. He is a significant flight risk without a family and no real ties to the island."

Danny frowned. He was surprised at how much the words "no real ties to the island" stung.

"My client is willing to surrender his passport," Mr. Jordan offered.

"Which might be more impressive if he did not know how to pilot boats and fly helicopters," Ms. Roberts countered. "Besides, the defendant is an ex-Navy SEAL who has been trained in survival skills. He doesn't need a passport to disappear."

"Agreed," Judge Keone said. "Bail is denied. The defendant will be housed under protective custody at Halawa Correctional Facility until the time of his hearing."

Danny groaned and closed his eyes. Steve getting sent to Halawa was the worst possible scenario. In the past year, half of the criminals sent there had been collared by 5-0. Protective custody or not, this was bad for Steve. Very bad.

"Your honor," Mr. Jordan protested, "my client had arrested many felons who are now incarcerated in that facility. It would be difficult to guarantee his safety. We request a change of location to Waiawa Correctional Facility."

"No," the judge said, shaking his head. "Halawa is best suited to for this situation. They already have a protective custody ward. The defendant will not be mixed in with the general population or have a cellmate. He should be perfectly safe there. I will see you all back here in two weeks. Court is adjourned."

And with a bang of the gavel, it was over.

Danny, Kono, and Jenna sat there, resigned, and silently watched as Steve slowly stood up along with his lawyer.

Danny knew being granted bail had been a long shot to begin with. Judges usually did not look too favorably upon people suspected of killing governors. Nor did they want to appear soft on crime in front of national TV. But a small part of him had held out hope anyway.

The same sheriff who escorted Steve into the courtroom came back over to him and grasped Steve by the arm, preparing to lead him back to the holding room.

Danny stood up, knowing he couldn't say anything to Steve or he might be held in contempt. But he could still try to catch his eye and have another unspoken conversation.

But Steve did not look over at Danny. He kept his focus straight ahead, jaw clenched, as he walked towards the door. To someone who did not know better, Steve looked stoic.

But Danny knew better.

Danny prided himself on knowing his partner well. He knew all of Steve's faces and named them, good-naturedly ribbing him about them whenever possible. But as he watched Steve walk out of the courtroom, Danny was at a loss as he saw a face he had never seen before. And he hoped to never see again.

He sighed. _We will get you out of there, Steve. I promise._

Danny remained standing for a minute after Steve disappeared through the door and then slumped back down into his seat. He leaned forward and combed his hands through his hair in frustration. Then he leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and exhaled.

Jenna looked at Danny and Kono nervously. "Guys, how are we going to get him out?" she whispered.

Danny opened his eyes, and shook his head. "I don't know. But we have to. And soon."

"Is Halawa that bad?"

"Yeah, it is," Kono said, nodding, fear in her eyes. "I can't count the number of people Steve has put in there."

"Not to mention the one that really matters..." Danny said, his voice trailing off.

Jenna leaned forward. "Who's that?"

Danny sighed heavily.

"Victor Hesse."

_To be continued…._

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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_Present time_

"Thanks again for driving me here, Chin."

"No problem," Chin replied, looking at Steve in the rear view mirror.

Chin had to pull a few strings to be able to drive Steve to the Halawa Correctional Facility. The Sheriff Division, which was responsible for transporting inmates, had not been too pleased with the idea. Nor were they pleased with the side trip to the cemetery to visit Laura Hills' grave. However, the HPD, still trying to get back in Chin's good graces and probably avoid a wrongful termination lawsuit, was agreeable. All it took was one call from the Police Chief to his golfing buddy, the Deputy Director of the Sheriff Division, and Chin was granted permission.

Naturally, there were a few conditions attached to the arrangement. Chin had to give up his weapon for the drive and there were two sheriff cars escorting them at all times as well. He also had to keep his radio frequency open so any conversation he and Steve had would be monitored. But at least he got to be the one to drive Steve to his new, and hopefully, very temporary, home.

It was almost dusk when they pulled up to a stop outside Halawa. It was still cloudy from the rain and the prison looked even more gloomy and foreboding than usual in the grey evening light.

A guard stepped out of the guardhouse with a clipboard in hand. "Inmate name?" he asked.

"McGarrett," Chin answered.

The guard nodded, made a check on his clipboard, and stepped back inside the guardhouse. He consulted a computer, picked up the phone, and spoke to someone. After a brief conversation, the guard hung up the phone and stepped back outside. "You're cleared to proceed. Prisoner intake is down on your left," he said, pointing with his hand. "Park in front of the door. A guard will be there to meet you." Then the guard stepped back inside and pressed a button.

Chin heard a buzz as the gate lock released. The razor-wire topped gate began to roll aside slowly, screeching and groaning every inch of the way. _How appropriate_, Chin thought.

He looked at Steve one more time in the rear view mirror, not knowing when he would be able to see him again. All prison visitors had to be cleared before they could talk to an inmate and there was no telling how long the paperwork would take. Chin knew that getting to drive Steve to Halawa had used up most, if not all, of the favors he could ask of the Chief. He, and the rest of the team for that matter, would have to wait through the red tape just like everyone else.

He watched as Steve sat quietly in the back seat, looking out the car's side window. Chin wanted to see the Steve he knew- a confident, determined, and capable one-man A-team in cargo pants. And while he could still see the determination, it was now mixed with wariness and resignation. The cargo pants had been replaced by an orange jumpsuit. And looking through the wire mesh grid that separated them, Chin could tell Steve was already in prison.

He sighed as he drove the car through the now-open gate, the sheriff cars following right behind. He parked on the left, in front of the door, as instructed. After the gate finished closing, the door opened and a guard stepped out from the building. He walked over to the police cruiser and opened the back door.

As Steve climbed out of the back seat, Chin opened the front door and got out as well. He walked around the front of the car and over to Steve, whose arm was now securely grasped by the guard.

"McGarrett," Chin said, firmly.

Steve looked over and met Chin's eyes.

"Good luck," Chin said. However, it was his eyes, not his words, which conveyed what he really wanted to say.

_Hang in there, Boss. We'll get you out. _

Steve nodded once. _I know. Take care._

The guard tugged Steve's arm and they walked through the door into the prison. Chin watched his back as he disappeared.

Then the heavy metal door closed with a dull clunk and Steve was gone.

***H50***

_Knock, knock, knock._

Danny sighed. The last thing he wanted to do was get up off the sofa and answer the door. The day had been long and hard enough without having to deal with someone wanting to sell him something. If he sat there quietly, maybe whoever it was would just go away and leave him alone.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Or not.

Danny sighed again and set his beer on the side table. He got up, walked to the door, and began to open it. "I'm telling you now, I'm not interest…" He stopped talking the instant he saw who had been knocking.

Chin.

Danny set his jaw. "What do you want?"

"I thought you might want to know that Steve made it safely to Halawa," Chin answered.

"No thanks to you, I'm sure," Danny snorted.

"Danny, I'm the one who drove him there."

"And how exactly did you do that?" Danny asked, his voice rising in anger. "You weren't even at the arraignment!"

"I was there," Chin replied, clearly irritated. "I was in the holding room. With Steve."

"Well, it's nice to see you finally showing some loyalty! Too bad you didn't have any yesterday!" Danny scoffed, bitterly.

"Is that what this is about?" Chin asked, his voice now rising to match Danny's. "You're mad because I arrested Steve at the Governor's mansion? I told you then, I _had_ to do it. He was standing there with a smoking gun in his hand! There was nothing else I could have done!"

"Don't give me that crap!" Danny yelled, pointing at Chin's chest. "There_ was_ something else you could have done! You could have stayed with us! But when you found out Steve was going to be arrested you couldn't get out of the office fast enough! And after all Steve did for you! He took you from a dirty cop working security to a great job with respectability at Five-0! He even committed a felony to save your life! And _this_ is how you repaid him? _You _ran away from _him_, away from _us_, as _fast_ as you could!"

"I didn't want to leave! But I had to!" Chin yelled back. "They were coming for Steve! I know how things work, Danny! And you do, too! HPD was going to freeze us out! _All_ of us! The only way we are going to know what is going on, the only way we will be able to help Steve, is if we have someone on the inside!"

"And you just conveniently volunteered yourself for that job, didn't you? And without consulting any of us! What did you do? Just walk in and say 'hey, I'm here. Wanna hire me?" Danny sneered.

"No!" Chin retorted. "I called the Chief back and told him I'd take the job he had offered me that morning! The job that, at the time, I had turned down!"

Danny froze for a minute, a confused look on his face.

Then he furrowed his brow and scrubbed his hands over his face, and exhaled, deflated. "You had already turned the job down?" he asked.

"Yes," Chin said, nodding. "The Chief had offered me a Lieutenant's job in his office that morning. I told him I had a home with Five-0 and that's where I'd be staying."

Danny looked down and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck a few times before looking back up at Chin. "Lieutenant, huh?" he questioned.

"Yes," Chin answered with a nod.

"Well," Danny admitted, "you'd have to be crazy to turn that down."

"Or loyal," Chin replied.

"Yeah," Danny said slowly, agreeing with a nod. "Or loyal."

The two men stood on Danny's porch for a moment, looking at each other, before Danny broke the uncomfortable silence.

"So, uh, would you like to come in for a beer?" he asked, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Sure," Chin replied, accepting Danny's unspoken apology.

Danny stepped back inside his apartment and went to the refrigerator. He got out a beer, walked back into the living room and handed it to Chin, who took it and then sat down in a chair.

Danny sat back down on the sofa, picked up his own beer, and took a long drink.

Then he turned his head, looked at Chin and asked, "So… what do you know about Steve's case?"

**H50**

The intake process took several hours. It was after dinner and already dark outside before the guards were satisfied that Steve did not have any weapons or contraband. He left the intake area to go to his cell, flanked by a guard on either side of him.

Protective custody was definitely isolated. They passed through several locked, secure doors, which required the guards to swipe a card key before a buzzer would sound, indicating the door was now unlocked. After a few minutes, they made it to cell #38, which would be Steve's home for the foreseeable future.

One of the guards opened the thick, metal door and motioned for Steve to go inside. "Lights out in five minutes," the guard said.

Steve stepped inside and the door slammed shut behind him. He heard the lock click, followed by the guards' retreating footsteps, growing more and more faint as they walked away.

Steve looked around the cell, quickly assessing it.

It was a sterile, 6x8 room with a stainless steel toilet and sink, both of which were bolted down, similar to what he had found in the courthouse holding room. A bar of soap sat on top of a neatly folded towel on the side of the sink. There was a twin-size bed, bolted to the wall, with a thin mattress, pillow, threadbare sheets, and a single blanket. He lifted the mattress up, and, seeing nothing underneath it, placed it back down. The only light came from a fluorescent bulb on the ceiling, which cast a depressing glow about the room. The bulb was protected by a hard, plastic cover encased in a wire cage. The door was solid other than a window at eye level made of thick Plexiglas and a thin slot, at the bottom, which could be lifted, allowing food to be delivered and taken away. The room itself had no windows.

Steve sat down on the bed and sighed.

He had been visually assessing the prison from the moment they drove up, looking for weaknesses. He had taken in the locations of the guard towers as well as every entry and exit point of the prison. He had counted the number of guards in the tower, intake facility, and protective custody ward. He counted how many locked doors they had passed through and noticed which guards had the card keys needed to get through. He had committed all of the details to memory, adding them to what he already knew about the prison from previous visits to question inmates.

The conclusion he drew was not an appealing one.

There was no way out.

There would be no escape.

Steve leaned back against the wall and sat there for a minute, his head resting on the hard concrete wall.

Then, a buzzer sounded and the lights went out.

He sighed again, deeply.

Steve had been in tight situations by himself before. He had hidden in deserts, caves, forests, and jungles. He had been on every type of dangerous mission possible, in every corner of the world, relying only on his wits and training to get him through.

But as Steve sat there on his prison bed in the dark, he had never felt more alone.

_To be continued…_

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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Steve lay awake most of the night, thinking.

Thinking about Laura Hills' murder. Thinking about Wo Fat killing the Governor. And thinking about the stolen ten million dollars.

How were they going to get out of all of it?

Steve hoped the evidence would clear him of both the murders. After all, he did not commit either one. But he had been framed, not once, but twice in as many days. Not a good sign.

The ten million dollars was another issue all together. He _did_ steal it. Well, ok, _they_ stole it. But, if needed, Steve was committed to taking the fall for all of them. And that truth remained; he took it, no matter how noble the reason might have been. How were they ever going to get out of that?

Steve lay there, awake, processing, until finally exhaustion from the past few sleepless nights took its toll and sleep claimed him. He slept fitfully and was almost as tired when the prison buzzer sounded and the lights came on, waking him up, as he was when he had finally fallen asleep.

He opened his eyes and lay there on his bed, staring at the florescent light above. _They really need to clean that out,_ he thought, noticing the dead bugs trapped by the plastic covering, silhouetted against the dingy light. Evidently housekeeping was not high on the prison "to-do" list.

A few minutes later, the metal flap at the bottom of the door opened and a tray covered in plastic wrap was shoved into his room. Steve got up off the bed, went over, and picked it up. The tray contained two dry slices of semi-burned toast, a scoop of runny eggs, two incredibly flimsy pieces of fatty bacon, and a small plastic cup of orange juice. He wrinkled his nose disdainfully. _Guess this is what passes for breakfast around here. _

Steve took the tray back to his bed and sat down. He really did not want to eat, but knew he had to in order to keep his strength up. He removed the plastic wrap, setting it aside, and picked up the plastic spoon. _Here goes nothing._

Nothing was right.

He silently choked down the food, chasing it down with the tang-y orange juice. He then rinsed out the cup and set it on the side of the sink. If they did not notice, maybe he could keep it and have it to use to drink water from the sink. Any little bit of civilization would help.

He considered keeping the plastic wrap as well, but did not want to push his luck; he really wanted to keep the cup. So, he wadded the plastic wrap up in a ball, and put it back on the tray, which he placed on the floor by the slot on the door.

By Steve's internal clock, which was almost always correct, it was around 7:00 a.m. The whole day stretched out in front of him with nothing to do. His choices were to spend the day thinking about the cases, trying to figure them out, or twiddle his thumbs and go crazy.

It was not a hard choice.

He was making progress, thinking and pacing, and had suffered his way through an abysmal lunch (from which he saved the plastic wrap and plastic spoon) when he heard the lock to his cell door opening. Steve knew he wasn't scheduled to have any visitors and it was too early for his allotted few minutes alone in the yard.

Something was up.

He quickly moved to the side of the door and assumed a defensive position, slightly crouched, knees bent, with both of his hands in front of him, ready to fight. The door opened and one of the guards was standing outside, waiting. If he noticed Steve's stance, he didn't seem fazed. "It's time for your shower," he announced.

"Now?" Steve questioned. It was the middle of the day. Why would they be taking him to the shower now?

"We have to stagger the times so you'll be the only one in there," the guard replied. "And your time is now. Take it or leave it. You won't get another chance today."

Steve debated for a moment, still uneasy. However, what the guard had said made sense. The prison only had so many showers and being in protective custody meant he could not be around other inmates, including the other ones in protective custody with him. He relaxed his stance and decided to go. Maybe a shower would help him clear his mind. If he was lucky, there might even be some hot water. And if he was really lucky, maybe there would be something there he could confiscate and add to his collection of potentially useful things.

He walked over to the sink, picked up his soap and towel, and stepped out of his cell, allowing the guard to escort him to the shower. Steve kept a watchful eye the entire way, noting how many other cells they passed (6), how many locked doors they went through (2), and how many steps it took to get there (79). When they arrived, the guard opened the door to the shower room. "You've got ten minutes," he said, and then closed the door, locking it behind him.

Steve quickly surveyed the room. It was larger than he expected, and had clearly been used at one time for communal showering. There were 6 showerheads mounted on the far side of the wall, each about six feet off the ground and two feet apart. The floor and walls were tiled with white tile, but like most of the prison, it still managed to look dingy. There were several large drains in the floor to let the water drain away and a few fluorescent lights in the ceiling, identical to what he had in his cell. Other than that, the room was empty.

Steve immediately walked over to the showerhead on the far left, which was farthest away from the door. He looked at it for a moment and then began trying to loosen the head by turning it counter-clockwise. It screeched a bit in protest and Steve stopped turning it, waiting a moment to see if the guard had heard anything. After approximately 15 seconds had passed and the door had not opened, Steve was confident he had not been heard and resuming trying to disassemble the showerhead.

After a few more turns, the nozzle came off in his hand. Unfortunately, Steve did not see the small metal washer that was threaded inside. It fell to the ground with a clink, and Steve held his breath.

This time, he was not so lucky. He heard a thump outside the door and then heard the key as it was inserted into the lock. Steve turned around and hastily put the showerhead on the floor behind him, hiding it behind his foot. He stood back up just in time to see the door open.

However, it was not the guard who came inside.

It was a group of inmates.

Eight of them, to be exact.

Each of which looked like they knew their way around a fight. Or at least around the weight room. They were all big.

_Crap._

Steve hurriedly reached down and picked up the showerhead in his right hand, thankful to have at least some sort of weapon. He kept his back to the wall, assumed a defensive position, and waited.

The men advanced on him slowly, buying a little time, trying to figure out the best angle of attack.

Steve used that time to his advantage, watching them closely. He quickly pinpointed who was the leader. He was one of the larger men, with a bald head and heavy tattoos covering his arms all the way down past his wrists. Steve would take him down first and hoped that would result in some confusion. Or at least slow them down.

Steve knew he could take down eight regular, untrained men. He just didn't know how regular or untrained these men were. And considering they were inmates, he knew they had to have some skills. Otherwise, they'd probably be dead.

Steve was so focused on the approaching eight inmates in front of him that he did not notice the new person, who had just entered the doorway, until he spoke.

"Well, Steve," he said. "You didn't really think I couldn't get to you in prison, did ya?" 

_To be continued…_

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Author's note: Feel free to scream at me. I know you want to... ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Wow! That was a lot of screaming! Are you guys hoarse? Just wondering, because you *might* still need your voices… ;)

Chapter 6

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Steve didn't even have to look up to know whose voice he had heard.

But he looked up anyway, past the eight inmates, and right into the face of Victor Hesse.

The leader of the inmates noticed Steve's second of distraction and used it to his advantage. He lunged towards Steve at full speed, positioning himself to tackle him.

Steve saw the motion out of the corner of his eye and instantaneously adjusted his position, shifting to the right just in time to avoid the attack. He dropped the showerhead and used the man's momentum against him. Steve grabbed the back of the leader's jumpsuit and propelled him as hard as he could into the wall behind him. His bald head hit the tile with a sickening thud. He sank down to the floor and did not move again.

Steve did not know if he was dead or merely knocked out. Nor did he really care. He had other problems to worry about.

He turned back around from his sideways position to see two more inmates approaching, one from each side. They were trying to flank him.

Steve turned slightly towards the man on the left, punching him as hard as he could in the gut, knocking the air out of him. The man doubled over, grabbing his middle in pain. Steve immediately connected with an uppercut to the man's jaw, knocking him out. He fell to the floor and, like his leader, did not move again.

The inmate who had been on his right side attacked Steve from behind, getting a chokehold around his neck. Steve quickly moved his left arm forward and then bent it at a 90 degree angle at the elbow. He jammed his elbow backwards as forcefully as he could and heard a crack as he connected with the inmate's ribs. The man cried out in pain and released the chokehold. Steve turned around and finished him off with a right hook. He went down, and curled up, clutching his ribs, with blood streaming down his face.

_Three down, six to go… _

This time, four men approached simultaneously. Steve knew he would have to start with one and hope for the best. He got back into his defensive posture, hands ready, legs bent at the knees, ready for action.

The man on the middle left lunged forward just a hair before the other men, trying to land a punch. Steve grabbed his arm before it could connect and pulled it. As the force of the attack carried the inmate past him, Steve twisted the man's arm behind his back and then gave him a hard, quick kick to the back of his right knee. He heard a loud pop and the man cried out in pain, his knee dislocated. He went down screaming, his knee a mangled mess.

Steve spun back around just in time to receive a hard punch, which connected and split his face at his right jaw line. He fell back for a second, then regrouped and landed a few punches of his own.

While this happened, one of the other two men circled back behind Steve and kicked him in the lower back. Steve was thrown off balance, allowing the other man in front the split second he needed to land a strong blow on Steve's left side, just below his ribs.

Steve collapsed to the floor on all fours in pain. He refused to cry out but instead turned the cry into a scream of rage. Now on the ground, he saw the showerhead, still lying on the floor where he had dropped it. It was just a few inches away.

Steve rocked back onto his feet and quickly picked up the showerhead in his hand. In a seemingly impossible move, he launched himself from a squatting position at the man, swinging the showerhead towards the man's skull. It connected with a sickening crack. Blood spurted from the side of the man's head and he fell to the ground, screaming and bleeding profusely.

One of the other men ran at Steve's back and hurled himself at him, in a move that would make any defensive football player proud. He tackled Steve and they crashed to the floor, face down. Pain shot through the entire left side of Steve's face and body as they landed with a sickening crack on the hard, unforgiving tile. The contact knocked the wind out of him and everything got fuzzy for a moment as he gasped for breath.

The other two inmates seemed to notice the momentary lapse in Steve's struggling and seized the opportunity to help the would-be all pro tackler pin him down, his body flat, arms outstretched, and his face held down and turned to the left. Steve tried to move, but their collective weight and strength was too much to overcome.

Still, he struggled underneath them; trying to fight them off and yelling every swear word he knew.

Then Steve saw a pair of shoes approaching and he did some quick math in his head.

_Five down, three pinning him. That only left Hesse. _

The feet stopped in front of Steve, a few feet away from his body and next to his right hand, which was still clutching the showerhead tightly.

"What do you want, Hesse?" Steve growled, spitting blood out of his mouth as he talked.

"What do I want?" Hesse replied. "You should know very well what I want, Steve."

"Revenge?" Steve spat out again and then gave a hoarse laugh. "You didn't even have the guts to face me by yourself. You had to send in these punks to do your dirty work. What's wrong? Were you afraid you'd get blood on your hands? Or were you just afraid I'd kick your ass again?"

Hesse looked down at Steve and smiled a deadly smile.

"I had no doubt who would come out on top of our little fight in here, regardless of how many people were involved," he taunted. "It could have been only the two of us, and the result would have been the same. As far as _you_ are concerned,_ I own this prison. _Which means _I also own_ _you._"

Steve swore again, vehemently, and Victor paused for a minute before continuing.

"Are you finished?" he asked, condescendingly. "Because I'm not. I still haven't answered your other question. You, of all people, should know I have no problems getting blood on my hands. After all, some of the last blood I had on them belonged to your father."

"Go to hell!" Steve yelled, infuriated, as he began to thrash underneath the inmates again, trying to break free.

Hesse smiled again. Then all traces of humor left his face and he sneered, "you first."

And with that, he lifted his leg and slammed his foot down on Steve's right hand as hard as he could. Steve cried out in pain as the bones in his hand and fingers snapped and the shower head penetrated through his flesh.

Then the inmates, with Hesse joining in, began to kick and hit Steve until he stopped struggling. Finally satisfied, they stopped and backed away.

Except for Hesse.

He leaned down next to Steve, his breath hot on Steve's ear.

Hesse paused a moment for dramatic effect and then whispered, "Round one. I win."

His taunting complete, Hesse stood up and walked away. The other inmates gathered up their injured friends and followed, leaving Steve alone on the cold tile floor.

Steve saw them go out of his one eye which was not swollen shut. But he was too injured and exhausted to move, much less follow after them or even call out for help.

So, he lay there, watching as his blood flowed like small rivers of red, forging its way across the white tile, and down into the drain, until his eye closed and he could see no more.

_To be continued…_

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	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: I owe both Cokie and Rogue Tomato a big "thank you" for this chapter, in particular. I really struggled with it and they suffered through more drafts and revisions than I'd like to count (and more than they'd like to count, too, I'm sure). So, thank you, ladies, for your patience, insight, and for generally putting up with me. I really do appreciate you and your thoughts have really enriched this story. Group hug. :)

Chapter 7

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He heard them talking.

"Who is he?" a man asked.

"Not sure," another one replied. "His face is too swollen to tell. But he kind of looks like that new inmate we got in last night."

_Inmate? _ Steve thought.

"Let's roll him over," man number one said.

_Please, dear God, no… _the pain was already bad enough.

"Ok, on three," number two replied. "One, two, thr…"

**H50**

_Sirens. And movement. _

_Why was he moving?_

"We're about 10 minutes out," he heard a voice say. "Tell the ER to have an officer available to restrain the inmate."

_Inmate… that word again... who was the inmate? _

_Wait… was it him? _

"Copy that," he heard a voice crackle, as if over a radio.

_Sirens… movement… ER... radio... must be in an ambulance… _Steve thought. _But why?_

He did not have to think about it for long.

His nervous system suddenly picked up on the searing pain. Everywhere. He gasped sharply and turned onto his left side, retching.

"Whoa, easy there," he heard a surprised voice say as a hand braced his right shoulder, helping to steady him.

Steve wished he could stop- he hated puking. Not to mention, it was doing nothing to help his severe headache and what felt like a sharp knife slicing through his gut every time he moved.

_Had he been stabbed? He couldn't remember… _

**H50**

"Commander McGarrett… can you hear me?"

Steve could hear the voice, barely, but his eyes would not open and his body felt like lead. The blinding pain was still there, as was the nausea. He swallowed painfully. It did not go unnoticed.

"Commander… nod if you can hear me…"

Steve gave a feeble nod.

"Ok, good," the voice said. "Commander McGarrett, I am Dr. Hale. Do you know where you are?"

Steve thought for a minute, trying hard to clear the cobwebs from his mind. _Sirens… ambulance… must be in a hospital. _ Steve nodded again.

"Do you remember what happened?"

_What had happened? _Steve wondered. He could sense the memories of what happened floating just below the surface but still beyond his grasp. He reached for them anyway, focusing as hard as he could. Slowly, he was able to fish out a few pieces of the puzzle, one by one. _Inmate… prison… pain..._

Then he remembered.

"Shower… fight," Steve managed to whisper, surprised at how hoarse his voice sounded.

"Good," the doctor patted him on the shoulder. "Can you open your eyes for me?"

Steve fought against the weight of his swollen eyelids for a few moments. Then he slowly got his eyes open, just a slit, and blinked a few times as he squinted in the bright light of the Emergency Room. He saw a kind looking man, apparently in his 50s, with tan skin, salt and pepper hair, and glasses standing over him. Dr. Hale, he presumed.

Steve's training kicked in and he instinctively knew he had to assess the situation. He raised his head slightly and immediately regretted it as fresh pain shot through his body and the room began to spin. He clutched the bed railing with his left hand, trying to steady himself.

He narrowed his eyes and focused, noticing a few nurses, bustling around, and a uniformed cop standing in the corner. He looked down at his right hand and noticed it was wrapped in a large mound of blood-stained bandages. There was an IV in his left arm and his left ankle was handcuffed to the bed rail. _ Great. So much for hopping off the bed and walking away unnoticed. _ Not that he could get up anyway; his battered muscles felt like jelly.

Steve closed his eyes and let his head fall the few inches back to the bed.

_Well, at least the ugly orange jumpsuit's gone and the nurses had the decency to leave on my boxers, _he thought_. _At times like this, even the smallest amount of dignity was important.

The doctor removed a small pen light from the pocket of his white coat and said, "Commander, I need to check you for a concussion. Please open your eyes and hold still."

Steve reluctantly opened his eyes as much as he could and allowed the doctor to gently pry them open a little more. He stifled a groan as the doctor shined a light into each eye to gauge the reaction of his pupils. The light felt like a laser boring into his skull, intensifying his already bad headache. He was glad when it was over and he could close his eyes again. _Concussion… check._

Dr. Hale frowned and made a few notations on the chart. Then he set the chart aside and took the stethoscope off the back of his neck. He put the buds in his ears and used his hand to warm the cold metal for a moment before placing it on Steve's chest. "Please take a few deep breaths for me."

Steve complied as best he could, ignoring the sharp pain that shot through his chest every time he breathed deeply. _Cracked ribs… check_.

The doctor took his stethoscope out of his ears and draped it back around his neck.

"Ok, Commander, now I need you to tell me where it hurts," he said.

_Ok, Doctor, now I need you to go away and leave me alone._

Dr. Hale seemed to read Steve's mind. "You have to let us help you, Commander McGarrett. Being a tough guy isn't going to do anyone any good right now, particularly you."

Steve sighed inwardly. As much as he hated to admit it, the doctor was right. He concentrated for a moment, assessing his body, and picked out the worst pains.

"Hand…"

The doctor nodded. "Your right hand is broken in multiple places. You have a few broken fingers, too. You'll need surgery but we'll get it fixed up for you. The doctor at the prison infirmary did the right thing by sending you here. What else?"

"Stomach…"

"Ok," Dr. Hale said. "I'm going to check it out and it might hurt a bit. I'm sorry." He pressed down gently on Steve's abdomen.

The pressure from the doctor's hands felt like a knife slicing through Steve's body, cutting him in half, and he could not fight off his reflexes. His legs curled in response to the excruciating pain, with a little more pain thrown in for good measure as his left ankle was jerked to a stop by the cuff. He instinctively clutched his middle with his arms and almost cried out but instead clamped down his jaw and managed to only grunt.

"It hurts, I know," he heard Doctor Hale say, reassuringly. "It looks you have some internal bleeding, which we'll need to confirm with a CT. When blood gets into the peritoneum, it causes nausea and severe pain, which gets worse any time you move or if pressure is applied."

_No kidding… that hurt like hell._

Dr. Hale turned towards the nurse. "Call radiology and let them know we'll need an abdominal CT." Then he turned his attention back to Steve, giving him a minute to recover and stretch his legs back out before continuing. "Where else does it hurt?" he asked.

_Everywhere else, _Steve thought.

Steve learned how to handle pain as a SEAL. As a result of his conditioning and training, he had made it through pain that other men would consider unbearable to the point they would want to give up and die. He knew he could make it through. But he also knew the best way to manage through pain was to banish it from his mind, which included not cataloging every single injury.

_They got the big stuff. Just ignore the rest. _

"That's it," Steve ground out.

Dr. Hale did not look even remotely convinced. "We'll see," he said. "I'm going to finish examining you."

Steve remained silent throughout the rest of the doctor's poking and prodding. However, the beads of sweat on his brow, in addition to his clenched jaw and grimaces of pain, gave him away. Finally, it was over. Steve lay on the bed, as exhausted as if he had just run a marathon.

"Commander, I'm going to give you a shot of Toradol for the pain. Are you still nauseated?"

Steve swallowed convulsively and nodded his head.

"Ok, I'll give you some Phenergan as well. I need to warn you, you'll have some burning when we inject the medicines into your IV. But it will go away after a minute."

Steve could tell the second the medicines in the IV hit his body. He bit down hard on his bottom lip and breathed deeply in and out of his nose. _Burning was not the right word,_ he thought._ More like mainlining acid and letting it dissolve your vein._

"I know," the doctor reassured. "It should be over soon."

Steve was tired of being reassured and just wanted the pain to go away. The medicine currently eating its way up his forearm was the rotten icing on a very miserable cake.

_Think about something else, McGarrett, _he reminded himself. _Like how are you going to clear your name? And Kono's? Where is Wo Fat now? And what about Hesse? How did he know where you were going to be? Someone must have tipped him off… but who?_

He lay there thinking, eyes closed, for what felt like an eternity. In actuality, it was ten minutes.

Steve heard the doors open and someone gently touched his shoulder.

"We're going to transport you to radiology now."

Steve could hear the brakes being taken off the wheels on his bed, but did not open his eyes. He could hear several people moving around, adjusting things and making sure he was ready to go. Then, with a slow shove, they were moving.

It was too much. They didn't even make it out of the room.

Steve knew his bed was moving at a snail's pace, but that did not matter. He stomach lurched like he had just jumped out of an airplane. He rolled over and dry heaved over the side of his bed even after the bed came to an abrupt halt.

"Commander," he heard Dr. Hale say, "I'm going to inject some more Toradol and Phenergan into your IV. Since this is the second time, it will be a bit worse. But that's the only way we're going to be able to make you comfortable enough to transport you to radiology."

Steve nodded between heaves. _ Do it._

A few seconds later, he felt the acid burning again, this time eating through the vein all the way up through his bicep.

Minutes later, the heaves subsided and Steve managed to roll over onto his back. He kept his eyes shut tightly as the bed began to slowly move again.

_Was this nightmare ever going to end?_

_To be continued..._

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	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: Thank you all for the great response to this story! I love all the reviews, favs, and alerts and I will do my best to keep you entertained while we wait for season two. And thank you, too, to jodiesto, who answered a few medical questions for me. As always, any mistakes are mine.

And now, I think it's time for some Danny… :)

Chapter 8

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The brightness from an overhead light penetrated his consciousness ever so slowly, like the rising sun trying to burn off the morning fog. Gradually, the murkiness dissipated from the corners of his mind.

He became aware of sounds first… hushed voices speaking in soft tones; consistent, but muted beeps; the metallic glide of ball bearings as curtains were pulled.

Then the sensations came… the dull pain that throbbed almost everywhere; the slight tug of an IV in his left arm; the scratch of the stiff sheets beneath him; and finally, a hand that touched his left shoulder, lightly resting there.

The hand patted his shoulder. "Commander McGarrett, can you hear me?" a female voice asked, gently.

_Go away… _ Steve thought.

Evidently, the voice could not read minds and continued talking.

"I need you to wake up if you can. We need to make sure you came out of the anesthesia ok." The hand moved from his shoulder down to his left hand. "If you can hear me, give my hand a squeeze," she said.

_Fine… just go away..._

Steve willed his hand to squeeze hers. It took longer than he would have thought for his brain's command to make his hand respond.

After a few seconds, the woman said, "Good. Now you can go back to sleep." She released his hand, patted it, and left.

_Thank you… _

***H50***

Danny crossed his arms and shifted uncomfortably for what seemed like the millionth time in the worn, country blue vinyl chair. He looked down at the cushion, which evidently had split some time ago. The foam stuffing burst out of the broken seam at a crazy angle, as if it was trying to escape.

_That figures,_ Danny thought. _Even the chair doesn't want to be here._ _Maybe they should put it out of its misery and get a new one. Preferably one that doesn't make it feel like you're trying to sleep on the Rack._

But Danny knew comfort was not at the top of the hospital priority list. If it was, they wouldn't keep it as cold as a meat locker all the time. One of the nurses had given him a blanket around midnight, but he quickly decided Steve needed it more than he did. His partner had to be freezing. He was only wearing one of those flimsy hospital gowns underneath a thin blanket and sheet. Not to mention the fact that his bare left foot was poking out, uncovered, so he could be chained to the bed rail like some animal at the zoo.

So, Danny spread his blanket on top of Steve and went looking for a stray sock. A nurse was kind enough to give him one from the clothes closet, where the hospital kept odd, assorted clothes other patients had left behind and washed them for those who had nothing. He returned to the room, put the sock on Steve's ice cold foot, and resumed his watchful position in the vinyl chair.

That had been six hours ago.

Danny looked at Steve and shook his head. _It's a good thing the prison transferred Steve to the hospital_, he thought. He wasn't sure he would be able to control himself if he saw the men who were responsible.

He had been sorely tempted to drive to the prison and give the warden a piece of his mind, but Danny knew the warden would never agree to meet with him, or probably even let him inside. And while standing and yelling in a prison parking lot in the middle of the night might make him feel better, he knew it wouldn't do Steve any good.

So, here he sat.

It was almost surreal to see his partner beaten like this. Steve always carried himself with a confident aura of invincibility, his body language alone proclaiming his ability to handle himself in any situation and come away relatively unscathed. But his condition at the moment was glaring evidence to the contrary.

To say Steve looked bad was an understatement.

His face, like most of his body, was puffy and bruised all over. His left eye was swollen almost completely shut and was an ugly, mottled shade of black and purple. The skin on his right jaw had been split and 17 black stitches now held it together. The concussion wasn't visible, but Danny knew it was there regardless.

Steve's right hand, from the wrist down, was an absolute mess. The surgeon had spent a long time putting everything back in place and his handiwork was visible everywhere. A long line of stitches extended from Steve's pinkie finger to the top of his hand. There were more stitches on his palm that wrapped up between a few of his fingers, tied off neatly on top. His hand and fingers, so discolored that the dark stitches almost blended into his skin, were also too swollen to be cast; everything from his elbow down was immobilized by a black foam splint with Velcro fasteners.

But despite the gruesome appearance, the surgeon was optimistic. He said that Steve's fingers would need to be regularly checked for blood flow and that he would have to wear the splint for at least four weeks. But if things went well, and Steve did all of his occupational therapy, he felt confident that Steve would be able to regain a full range of motion.

_In the meantime, I'll bet he learns to shoot with his left hand, _Danny smirked. _Unless, of course, he already knows how._

Danny could just make out the bulge of bandages under the blankets on Steve's left side. His two bottom left ribs had been cracked and were now wrapped. More bandages were affixed on his left side, just below his ribs, covering several small incision sites. His spleen had ruptured, but the doctors were able to repair it and resolve the internal bleeding with laparoscopic surgery. _Amazing what they can do with robots these days. _

Danny's thoughts were interrupted by a nurse who walked into the room. They exchanged thin smiles, and then she set about her work. She checked Steve's vitals and then she pulled a thermometer out of her pocket and carefully checked the temperature of each one of his fingers. Danny could not tell if she was satisfied with the results or not as she noted all of the information on Steve's chart.

She stepped outside for a minute and returned with a small vial and syringe. She plunged the syringe into the vial, turned it upside down, and drew the syringe down, measuring the proper amount of medication. "For the pain," she whispered to Danny, as she pushed the meds into Steve's IV. Then she gathered up her supplies and left.

Danny had seen the same routine a few hours ago. And he knew another nurse would be back in a few hours to do it again. Hopefully, Steve would be awake by then, although Danny was not holding his breath. Steve had been exhausted from lack of sleep even before he was sent to prison. Add to that the physical trauma of being beaten and going through surgery, as well as some potent drugs, and he knew Steve would be out for a long time.

Danny shifted in his chair and sighed.

He would have to wait.

***H50***

"Any word from Danny?" Chin asked when he walked into the kitchen.

Kono looked up and shook her head. "Not since midnight. He said he'd call when Steve woke up, so I guess he's still out of it."

Chin sighed. He was hoping for some better news to start the day.

It was 7:00 a.m. when he walked into Steve's house, which was now also the unofficial HQ of the recently defunct Five-0. Kono and Jenna were already at work at the kitchen table, poring over information, trying to find a lead to clear Steve of the murders.

Chin could only stay for an hour, working with them, and then he would be off to his "day job" with HPD. He would stay in contact with them throughout the day and then return after work to his "night job", working with Five-0. In between, he was lucky to get four or five hours of sleep. But he was determined to do as much as he could to help Steve. After all, Chin owed him everything; his job, his dignity, and even his life.

He walked over to the coffeepot and picked up a mug, pouring himself a cup of hot coffee. Then he walked to the kitchen table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He swallowed a sip of coffee before announcing, "I talked to the prison warden."

Kono and Jenna immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up at him.

"What did he say?" Kono asked.

Chin leaned forward, elbows on the table, his hands encircling his coffee mug. "He told me that yesterday afternoon, three inmates dragged five of their buddies into the infirmary. The injured ones claimed to be fighting each other, but the doctor was suspicious and told the warden that the type of injuries they sustained were not typical for a prison brawl. They were much more severe."

"Steve," Kono said, quietly. "Good for him."

Chin nodded. "They wouldn't say a word about where the fight happened, so the warden put the prison on lockdown. The guards swept it until they found a guard outside of the shower, and Steve inside, both of them unconscious."

"How did they even get to the shower in the first place?" Jenna asked. "Wasn't someone watching them?"

"Theoretically, yes. Some were outside for their time in the yard. Others were in the library. In any case, they all slipped free and converged at the same time on Steve."

"They had to have bribed several guards, or at least threatened them," Kono said. "How else could they have gotten to him?"

Chin nodded. "Not to mention, they had to have someone on the inside who also knew when Steve was going to be out of his cell, and where. Needless to say, the warden is not too pleased and is looking into it."

"I don't trust them," Kono said, shaking her head. "The warden could be in on it himself, for all we know."

"I agree," Chin replied. "But the investigation isn't going through HPD, it's going through the Sheriff Division; they have jurisdiction. The Chief won't be able to get me on the case, but maybe I have enough goodwill left that he can ask them to keep me in the loop. I'll talk to him first thing this morning. At the moment, that's all we can do."

Kono sighed.

"Yeah, I know," Chin agreed. He took another sip of coffee and then changed the subject. "What have you guys found out this morning?"

"Not much," Jenna replied, shaking her head. "My contacts at the CIA came up empty as to Wo Fat's whereabouts. Nobody's seen him, or if they have, they're not talking. It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth."

"So, for all we know, he could still be here in Hawaii," Chin replied.

Jenna nodded. "Or anywhere else."

"So, back to square one," Chin said, sighing.

"Did Kamekona get back to you with a name of a fingerprint forger?" Kono asked.

"Not yet," Chin answered. "I'll go see him at lunch if he hasn't called by then. Want to meet me there?"

"Can't," Kono shook her head. "I'm going to go the hospital in a few hours to make Danny go home and take a nap. You know he won't do it otherwise."

Chin grinned. "He'll probably fight you on that."

"Maybe," Kono said, with a hint of a smile, "but I bet I could take him. I doubt he really wants to hit a girl."

Chin chuckled, imagining the scene.

It felt good to laugh. He couldn't remember the last time he had done so. And he had the feeling it might be a while before he did it again.

_To be continued…_

******************************************H50****************************************


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

*******************************************H50***************************************

The last thing Steve could remember was a female voice.

It was nice, soft, and soothing. It asked him to squeeze her hand. And it encouraged him to sleep.

It was not the same voice that was yelling at him now.

"McGarrett! Wake up already!"

Steve knew that voice.

Danny.

He groaned.

"Come on, Steve, you can do better than that! Open your eyes."

Steve groaned again. "Maybe if you were as pretty as the last person who asked me to do something, I might do what you say."

"How did you know she was pretty? From what I heard, you never even looked at her."

"I could just tell."

"I bet you could," Danny replied.

Steve could hear the smile in Danny's voice. However, it did not last long.

"Now come on and open your eyes. You need to wake up," he prodded.

"I'm awake," Steve protested.

"I beg to differ. You've told me that same exact thing three times in the past two hours. Then you turn into Rip Van Winkle again and don't even remember it the next time you wake up. So, no dice. I'm going sit here and bug you until you open your eyes and give me your thousand yard stare."

Steve sighed and slowly opened his eyes. It took them a moment to adjust to the light. He blinked a few times and then looked over at Danny, giving him his best glare.

Danny laughed. "Ok, that look doesn't even make it one foot, much less a thousand yards. But beggars can't be choosers. And at this point, I'll take it."

Steve looked around, once again trying to assess his surroundings. He was lying in a sterile hospital room, freezing cold and devoid of any personality. His left foot stuck out from underneath the thin sheet and blankets, allowing his ankle to be cuffed to the bed rail. _At least someone had the decency to put a sock on my foot._ Steve smiled to himself. _Bet Danny did that. Although he'd deny it with his last breath._

There was a window to his left and an old TV mounted in the corner, turned off. To his right, Danny sat in an ugly, blue chair. Between them, near Steve's head and out of the way, was a rolling bedside tray with a lidded plastic cup of water setting on top. Steve did not have to ask if there was a guard standing outside his door. He knew there was; it was standard protocol.

Danny noticed Steve eyeing at the cup of water and picked it up, holding the straw to Steve's mouth. Steve greedily took a long drink and then nodded his thanks to Danny.

"How do you feel?" Danny asked, putting the cup back on the tray.

Steve thought about it for a moment. He was exhausted, even though he had evidently been asleep for a while. His mouth was as dry as a cotton ball, though the drink helped, and he had a horrible headache. He got a hitch in his side whenever he took a breath and his whole body hurt, some places more than others. His right hand and fingers, which were in a splint, were the worst. But he could tolerate it all.

"Fine," he replied.

Danny rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air. "Of course! I should've known you'd say that! What was I thinking?"

Steve grinned. It was nice to see Danny again, even if he was ranting.

"Well, Mr. I'm-lying-about-feeling-fine, I want you to remember how much it hurts right now, because this is as good as it gets. If you refuse to take your pain meds, it'll get worse. So, be smart and take what nurses give you."

_Yeah, right. I'll be sure to do that,_ Steve thought. He hated painkillers; they took the edge off the pain, but also took the edge off his thinking. And right now, he needed to think.

"I know that's your _'yeah, right'_ face," Danny scolded. "Don't be a hero. Just take them. Nobody's going to think any less of you."

"How long was I out?" Steve asked, changing the subject.

Danny recognized the shift of conversation for what it was and gave up. "Well, there was the half hour it took for the prison guards to find you, then add on the ambulance ride, ER visit , surgery, and post op care… that brings us to about eight hours. Then, you've been snoozing in this room for the past 18 hours, bringing it up to a grand total of 26 hours."

Steve frowned. "Must be around 6:00 p.m."

"Your battered brain is already doing math?" Danny asked, incredulously. "You could have just asked. I would have told you the time."

"Not math," Steve replied, simply. "Internal clock."

"Of course," Danny said, rolling his eyes again. "Internal clocks. Standard Navy issue, along with ability to tell if a woman is pretty just by listening to her voice."

"Don't forget the ability to find a lady a beer," Steve joked and then fell silent, remembering who had told him that line. After a moment, he asked, "what do you have on the murders? Can you tie them to the Governor and Wo Fat?"

Danny sighed. "We're working on it. Chin is feeding us information from HPD's investigation. So, far, they only have your prints at Laura Hills' house; nothing else. Kamekona gave us the name of a guy who forges fingerprints today, so we're going to check that out."

Danny paused to take a breath for a moment before continuing.

"On the Governor, the ballistics report came back and the slugs they pulled out of her did match the gun you were holding."

"No surprise there," Steve said.

"True," Danny nodded. "However, we are still waiting on the results from gunshot residue tests on your gloves and clothes from the crime lab. They should be ready in the next day or two. And they've already analyzed the pictures of your neck taken the night the Governor was killed and concluded that you were, indeed, tased. So, that should work in our favor."

"Good," Steve nodded. "How is Kono doing? She looked pretty upset at the arraignment."

"She's doing as well as can be expected," Danny replied. "She came and sat with you for a while today and she's also working with us on the cases. Staying busy seems to help her a lot."

Steve looked confused. "How is she working the cases with you? Chin told me she was suspended by IA. She can't even be in the office."

"Well, none of us are at the office anymore," Danny admitted, before continuing carefully. "We're all working out of your house. Hope you don't mind, but we needed a place to meet."

Steve furrowed his brow and stared at the ceiling, putting the pieces together. Then he sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "They shut down 5-0, didn't they?"

"Yeah," Danny replied quietly.

Steve opened his eyes and looked back over at Danny. "You have to go back to HPD. You need a job. Heck, you need a paycheck. You can't be doing pro bono work for me."

"I'll be fine," Danny assured. "After all, I'm hanging out at your place, right? I don't really need a paycheck. If I get hungry, I can just break into the year's supply of edamame and tree bark you keep in the freezer."

"I only have one bag of edamame in the freezer."

Danny grinned. "Like I said, the year's supply of edamame."

Steve grinned back briefly before turning serious again. "What about Grace? You'll need to be able to take care of her, too. You can't go without a paycheck forever."

Danny sidestepped the mention of Grace. That discussion could wait for another time; there was no need to make Steve feel worse than he already did. He decided to deflect Steve's question instead.

"Wow. I really appreciate your confidence in my detective skills. If it takes me forever to clear someone of a couple of murders they_ didn't_ commit, then I really don't deserve to be wearing a badge anyway."

"Danny, I meant…" Steve stopped talking as Danny interrupted him.

"I know what you meant. And I appreciate your willingness to rot in prison forever so I can buy malasadas and Barbie dolls. But it's not going to happen. I am on the case and so are Kono, Chin, and Kaye. And we will be on the case until we get you cleared. That's it. Period. End of discussion."

Steve did not look entirely pleased, but was too tired to continue arguing. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"So," Danny said, noticing Steve's exhaustion, "before you go back to sleep for another twenty years, we need to talk about the elephant in the room."

Steve's eyes popped back open and he looked at Danny quizzically. "What elephant?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "The elephant that beat you up, gave you a concussion, cracked a couple of your ribs, ruptured your spleen, broke your hand in a bazillion places, and turned you into one gigantic, semi-conscious bruise."

"Oh. That elephant."

"Yeah, that elephant," Danny nodded sagely before continuing.

"The way I see it, there are only two things that could have caused this amount of damage in such a short time. Number one," Danny punctuated by counting on a finger, "you never got around to reading that copy of 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' that I got you for Christmas and your winning personality hacked some people off so badly that they wanted to kill you after knowing you for less than 24 hours. Which is definitely possible; I know I did."

Steve rolled his eyes, which Danny, in full rant mode, ignored.

"Or, number two," he said and counted a second finger, "you ran into someone who already had it in for you before you ever made it to prison. And for that scenario, my money's on Victor Hesse."

"Well, then, you should go to Vegas. You're on a roll."

Danny sighed. "How did he get to you? You were in protective custody. How did you wind up half-dead on the shower floor?"

Steve shook his head. "I heard a thump right before they came in, so they must have taken out the guard. But I have no idea how they knew I was in there. I was only allocated ten minutes. They had to have someone on the inside tip them off."

"Ok," Danny exhaled heavily, rubbing his hands over his forehead and hair. "That's what we came up with as well. The Sheriff's department is handling the investigation, and so far, they haven't come up with much. They know which inmates were involved in the fight, and suspect a few of the guards have taken bribes, but they can't prove it. So, we'll add that to our list of mysteries to solve this week."

"This week?"

Danny nodded. "Yes, this week. The doctor's said you'll be in here about that long. And one thing is clear; you can't go back to Halawa as it stands right now. So, we have three options. The first one is we clear you of the murders and get the charges dropped before you're released back to prison. Second one is we take care of Hesse. But if he has people on the inside, that might be difficult. And we still don't know who tipped him off about you being in the shower in the first place."

Steve sighed. Neither one of those options seemed very likely. "So, you said there were three options. What's the third one?"

Danny leaned forward and lowered his voice to just above a whisper to ensure the guard outside could not overhear, even if he was eavesdropping.

"The third option is we break you out of here."

_To be continued…_

****************************************H50***************************************


	10. Chapter 10

Author's note: You guys crack me up. :D I love all the feedback and it makes me feel like a cross between a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book writer and the host of "Let's Make a Deal", where everyone wants to trade what they have for what's behind curtain #3. But you do know, sometimes there's cash behind that curtain. And sometimes, it's just a stinky llama. ;D

Chapter 10

****************************************H50****************************************

"So, how do you forge a fingerprint, anyway?" Danny asked as he, Kono, and Jenna sat at Steve's kitchen table the next morning.

"Well," Jenna said, in full analyst mode, "it's really not as hard as you would think. First, you need a good, clean print. Then, you cover the surface with Cyanoacrylat, and…"

"Hold on. Wait, right there," Danny interrupted, holding up his hand. "You sound like McGarrett. I don't need to know the chemical composition of everything. I need to know how to make a fake fingerprint, in layman's terms, so I'll know what we're looking for at this guy," Danny consulted a piece of paper, "Manuku Kaai's house."

"Oh. Ok," Jenna nodded. "I can do that. Basically, you cover a fingerprint with a few drops of superglue; the glue will stick to the print. Then, you take a digital picture of it and print it off on a transparency with a laser printer. Cover the print on the transparency with wood glue, let it dry and peel it off. That's it."

"Ok, let me get this straight, "Danny said, incredulously. "Any twelve year-old with a camera, laser printer, and ten bucks to go shop at Wal-Mart can make a fake fingerprint?"

Jenna scrunched up her face. "Pretty much."

Danny frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unbelievable. And HPD issued an arrest warrant based on fingerprints alone." He sighed and stood up. "Ok, let's go over there and see if we can persuade Manuku to talk to us."

The mid-morning traffic was light and the drive over to Manuku Kaai's house in Pearl City was a short one. Less than 20 minutes after leaving they pulled onto his street, which looked like any other nice, suburban street. The small, early 1970's style homes were painted in a checkerboard of various shades of white and beige. The lawns were neat and well maintained, complete with blooming flowers and palm trees. A few children's bikes lay scattered on various front yards and in the distance, dogs were barking. All appearances were that this was an idyllic family neighborhood and the last place a criminal would live. But appearances can be deceiving.

"There it is," Kono said, looking up from the map on her cell phone and pointing at Kaai's house from the passenger seat.

Danny pulled over, parked, and turned over his shoulder to look at Kaye, who was sitting in the back seat. "Sorry, but you need to stay in the car. Kamekona didn't say this guy was violent, but you never know. And since you don't have a gun, I can't have you go up there with us."

"Kono doesn't have a gun, either," she protested.

"Actually, I do," Kono admitted, looking at Jenna sheepishly. "I had to turn mine over, but Danny gave me his backup one, so I'm good."

"So, you stay put," Danny reiterated as he opened his door. "But if it makes you feel any better, you can get in the driver's seat and mow the guy down if he tries to run."

"That I can do," Kaye replied and nodded.

Danny and Kono made their way cautiously up the sidewalk, surveying for danger as they went.

"See that?" Danny whispered, gesturing with his head to the morning newspaper that was lying on the lawn. "Either Mr. Kaai here is very a late sleeper, or something's up."

They each drew their gun, Danny's a Heckler and Koch P30, Kono's a SIG Pro2009, and held them down to their sides as they made their way onto the front porch. Danny stood to the left of the door, Kono to the right.

Danny raised his eyebrows. _You ready?_

Kono nodded. _Yeah. _

Danny knocked on the screen door. He waited a few seconds, and when no answer came, he knocked again, this time more loudly. Still no answer. He tried the doorknob. Locked.

Danny motioned with his head towards the picture window on the front of the house. Kono quickly went over to the window and peeked inside. Then she looked back at Danny and shook her head. _ Nothing._

Danny nodded, stepped off the front porch, and made his way to the carport in front of the house, where Kono joined him. "What's next?" she asked.

"I'll go check the back. You stay up here and cover the front in case he comes out this way."

Danny quietly opened the chain link fence and slipped into the backyard. He ran in a crouch, his Heckler & Koch at the ready, to the first window. He cautiously looked inside, noticing it was a bedroom with the neatly made bed and a nightstand with a lamp, several precisely stacked magazines, and digital clock. Nothing else.

He ran a few more feet and looked into the next window, which was the dining room. He eyes were immediately drawn to a small desk in the corner. Sitting right on top, in plain view, was a digital camera, computer, and laser printer. Sitting on the floor, next to the desk, was a large box of transparency paper. Danny grinned with satisfaction. _Bingo._

His eyes scanned from the dining room over to the kitchen, which was separated from the dining room by only a breakfast bar and a few wooden barstools. But Danny wasn't prepared for what he saw on the floor there.

Manuku Kaai.

Dead.

Danny sighed and pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket. He quickly hit one of his speed dial numbers. The phone only rang twice on the other end before it was picked up.

"Danny?"

"Yeah, it's me, Chin. We have a problem…"

***H50***

Two hours later, Manuki Kaai's house was swarming with police and crime lab techs. The ME had already come and gone with the body, telling Chin that it appeared he had been dead for at least a day.

Danny leaned against the hood of the Camaro, watching, as they hauled the computer, printer, and camera, as well as the box of transparency paper, out of the house and loaded them into a van to take to the lab for analysis. They also emptied the contents of a file cabinet, housed in the second bedroom, into cardboard boxes and were taking them as well.

Chin walked out of the front door, ducked under the yellow crime tape that surrounded the house, and made his way over to Danny. "Kono and Jenna left?" he asked.

"Yeah," Danny answered. "Kamekona stopped by and picked them up about a half hour ago. Do you guys need me anymore?"

"No," Chin shook his head. "Detective Acua's done taking your statement. It's a good thing you guys didn't break in. That would have been hard to explain."

"Come on, Chin. Give me more credit than that. I was a cop long enough to know that if we broke in nothing we found could have been used as evidence."

Chin looked dubious. "And you were also in 5-0 and partnered with McGarrett long enough to know sometimes results are more important than proper procedure."

Danny inclined his head. "True. But with 5-0 disbanded, our immunity is out the window. So, I'm back to playing by the book."

Chin raised his eyebrows.

"Ok," Danny admitted, with a shrug of his shoulders. "At least this one time. Let's just say that Mr. Kai's death, while unfortunate, was good in that it allowed us to get all the evidence we need without breaking any laws."

Chin smirked. "That sounds more like it. You headed back to the house?"

"Yeah," Danny nodded. "Kamekona said he'd hang around this afternoon, answer any questions he could about the victim. Maybe we can find out who killed him, although I think we already know."

Chin nodded.

"Wo Fat."

***H50***

"You know, I'm going to eat that Jell-O if you don't. Red's my favorite."

Steve opened his eyes and saw Danny leaning against the wall of his hospital room. Steve gave him a half-hearted, lop-sided grin. "Help yourself."

"I will," Danny replied, picking up the Jell-O and a spoon off Steve's untouched dinner tray and plopping down in the now-familiar, worn blue chair. "You still not hungry?"

Steve shook his head. "Not really. Besides, look at what they gave me." He motioned to the Jell-O, chicken broth, and saltine crackers. "It's all refined sugar, artificial food coloring, and sodium."

"That must be why it tastes so good," Danny replied with a grin, spooning a bite of Jell-O into his mouth.

Steve grinned back. "So, what did you guys find out today?"

Danny stopped mid-bite and sighed, putting his spoon back down into the Jell-O cup. "How about we start with some good news first?"

"Ok…" Steve replied, warily, not liking the way things were sounding.

"Good news is Catherine called the house to check up on you. She saw the news coverage, of course, and called as soon as she could. They'd been under some sort of communications black-out or something like that and it was killing her that she couldn't call earlier. I told her you were doing ok and that you couldn't have a phone in your room, or a cell phone for that matter, but that I'd pass along any message she wanted. So, she wanted me to tell you, and I quote," Danny smiled broadly, making quotation gestures with his fingers, "'that she loves you and knows you're innocent and that she'll stand behind you'."

Steve grinned, pleased but slightly embarrassed that Danny was the intermediary.

Danny noticed and chuckled. "She also asked me to give you a big kiss for her, but there's no way on earth that's ever going to happen."

"That's good to know," Steve said, still grinning. "I'd hate to re-break my hand on your face."

Danny grinned back. "There's more good news, too. Chin heard back from the crime lab. They finished testing your clothes and gloves and have concluded they did not have any gunshot residue. Same as when they tested your hands right after they took you into custody."

Steve blew out a large breath. "Thank God." He had not been too worried about the residue. After all, he had not fired the shot that killed the Governor. But he was holding the murder weapon when HPD burst into the Governor's office. Therefore, the lack of GSR was important evidence; evidence that got him one step closer to clearing his name.

"What else you got?" he asked.

"Well," Danny continued, "we went to talk to a fingerprint forger this morning, the guy Kamekona told us about, but he was already dead. My guess is we found the right guy but Wo Fat had already killed him. HPD boxed up all the evidence and they've taken it back to the crime lab for analysis. Hopefully, they can find something that will prove this guy fabricated your fingerprints and either put them in Laura Hills' house or gave them to someone who did."

"Ok," Steve nodded slowly. "That's not too bad. The guy probably wasn't going to talk, so the evidence is all we were going to get anyway."

"Yeah," Danny nodded and then looked down. He slowly stirred the Jell-O around with his spoon, turning it into a clumpy red soup.

_Here it comes…_ Steve thought. "So, what's the bad news?"

Danny set the Jell-O down on the table and looked at Steve, apologetic. "HPD finally got around to listening to your phone."

Steve did not like that look; it was never a good sign. "And…" he prompted.

Danny sighed. "And the message that you taped with the Governor wasn't there."

Steve sat there for a few moments, in stunned silence, before he asked, incredulously, "she deleted it?"

Danny nodded slowly. "It looks that way."

Steve closed his eyes and sunk his head back into the pillow. _Great. Just great._ There went the Governor's confession to Laura Hills' murder. There went Wo Fat's entrance and shooting of the Governor.

There went the proof of his innocence.

Steve knew he shouldn't be surprised, but he was. Deleting the tape was logical, and, in fact, that's exactly what he would have done if he had been in the Governor's situation. And he had no idea what she did in the few seconds while he was lying on the floor after he was tased. He wasn't hearing too clearly and his body wasn't facing her direction. All he could see was Wo Fat, who took his gun and shot the Governor, turning Steve's life, and the life of every member of his team, into a living hell.

He opened his eyes and looked back over at Danny. His partner was leaning forward in his chair, bent at the waist, his elbows on his thighs. He was staring down at his hands, massaging them as if he wanted to punch something. Or someone.

Steve could tell there was something else Danny hadn't told him. And whatever it was, it was something that Danny didn't _want _to tell him. Something bad.

"Danny," he asked tentatively, "what is it?"

Danny massaged his knuckles a few more times before speaking.

"Catherine also mentioned something else…" his voice trailed off as he struggled to find the words.

Steve felt his gut twist.

Danny looked up at Steve, heavyhearted, and let out a sigh.

"I'm really sorry, Steve, but the Navy is looking into dismissing you for misconduct."

_To be continued…_

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	11. Chapter 11

Author's note: Thanks again for all the reviews, guys. I've been in a bit of a writing slump this week and your reviews (along with some nudging from cokie) are what kept me going. So, thank you all! :)

Chapter 11

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Chin enjoyed the wind, ruffling through his hair, as he rode his motorcycle early the next morning. A few, puffy clouds dotted the yellow-pink sky, still streaked with the early morning rays of sunlight. The temperature was in the mid 70s and the humidity was still low; perfect weather for a ride. He inhaled the air deeply, a hint of salt tingling his nose, savoring the moment of freedom before the responsibilities of the day took over. It looked like it would be a beautiful day.

Too bad it was also the day the Governor would be laid to rest_. If that's what you could call it when someone evil and corrupt was buried, _Chin thought_. _

Officers would be thin at HPD this morning; with all the media circus and elected leaders who had flown in for the funeral, a lot of the police's resources for the morning would be allocated to protection and crowd control. Chin had happily volunteered to stay behind and mind the fort. The last thing he wanted to do was put on a mask of sorrow, when, truth be told, he thought the Governor got exactly what she deserved.

He turned off South Beretania Street and into the crime lab parking lot at 7:00 a.m. on the dot. As expected, only a few cars were there. It was easy to pick out the one he was looking for- it was just as Kono had described it.

_Good. He's here._

Chin parked his motorcycle and walked inside. The reception area was empty so he walked straight past it and headed for the testing room. He spotted Charlie Fong there as easily as he had spotted his car outside.

As Chin approached, Charlie looked up from the sheet of manufactured fingerprints he was examining and smiled. "Chin Ho Kelly," he said, "what brings you here this early?"

Chin glanced around, making sure nobody else was there, and then leaned on the table with his elbow. He had not had many dealings with Charlie, but he seemed like a good guy. Plus, Kono trusted him, which was good enough for Chin. "I need a favor, Charlie."

Charlie furrowed his brow and tilted his head, his curiosity piqued. "What is it?"

"There's a phone coming into the lab this morning. It's McGarrett's. He told me he recorded his conversation with the Governor on it, which means it's also possible he recorded the Governor's murder."

Charlie's eyes went wide and he leaned back in his chair. That was not what he was expecting to hear. "Whoa. Seriously?"

Chin nodded, solemnly. "Yes. The problem is- the recording was erased. I need you to see if you can restore the audio file. And it needs to be your top priority."

Charlie nodded slowly. "I think I can do that. My boss is going to the Governor's funeral this morning, so he won't be in for a few hours. And we're making good progress on the fake fingerprints; we should finish with them today. So, I have a little bit of time. When's the phone coming in?"

"Any minute," Chin replied. "I've already called Duke at HPD and put a rush on it; it's being transferred over here as we speak. I would have brought it myself, but I didn't want to risk any allegations of tampering."

"Ok, I'll get right on it. Do you want me to call you at HPD once I know something?"

"No," Chin shook his head and then lowered his voice to just above a whisper. "Call Kono on her cell. I'd like to know what's on there _before_ you tell HPD." Chin raised his eyebrows and looked pointedly at Charlie. "Can you do that?"

Charlie thought for a moment, weighing what Chin was asking. Charlie did not know Chin that well, but he did know Kono. He knew how much respect she had for both her cousin and the rest of 5-0. And if what he knew about them, both from his own prior experience and their reputation, was correct, they were getting a rotten deal and deserved a break.

Charlie nodded slowly again. "Ok, I can do that."

Chin exhaled and nodded. "Good. I'll tell Kono to expect your call." He stood up to leave.

"And Charlie… thank you."

***H50***

Kono taped the last of the Champ box evidence pictures onto one of the many easels she had set up in Steve's living room. She stood back and looked at them in aggregate, trying to put the different puzzle pieces together to form a coherent picture.

They were still missing something, but she was not sure what.

But whatever it was, it was important enough that it had gotten Laura Hills killed. And Steve was close enough to finding it that Wo Fat felt so threatened that he killed the Governor and framed Steve, taking both of them out of the equation.

If only they could figure out what it was…

Kono tilted her neck to the side, listening as it snaped, crackled, and popped all the way down. _You really need to go surf, girl, and loosen up._

But since Steve's arrest, Kono had only seen waves from a distance. She knew she could go out and catch a few; nobody would say a word and she could do with the stress relief. But until they got Steve cleared and out of prison, she couldn't bring herself to grab her board and go. The waves would always be there tomorrow. They could wait.

Steve's situation could not.

"See anything?" Jenna asked, walking into the living room, stretching and taking a break from her analysis at the kitchen table.

Kono shook her head, frustrated. "Not yet."

Just then, Kono's cell phone rang. She pulled it out of her back pocket and smiled when she saw Charlie Fong's face on the screen. She hit the "answer" button and placed the phone up to her face. "Hello?"

"Kono, it's me, Charlie," he said, his voice low. "I've got something and Chin told me to give you a call."

Kono was immediately on high alert. "What is it?" she asked.

Jenna heard the change in Kono's tone and stood up straight, looking at her seriously.

"I'd rather not say on the phone," Charlie said, his voice urgent. "Can I meet you somewhere at noon?"

Kono looked at her watch. It was 9:45 a.m. Plenty of time. "Sure. Where do you want to meet?"

"Somewhere private."

"Ok, why don't you come to Steve's house? I can text you the address."

"Sounds good," Charlie replied, hurriedly. "Look, I gotta go. I'll see you at noon. Oh, and Kono," he added, "make sure Chin and the team is there. You all need to hear this."

***H50***

Danny pushed the "up" button on the elevator again.

He knew pushing it for the third time would not actually make it appear any faster, but psychologically, it made him feel better. It was something he could actually _do_.

He had gotten up early, after a lousy night's sleep, and headed to Steve's house, arriving before Kono and Jenna. He made a pot of coffee, poured himself a cup, and then sat down at the kitchen table. He tried to focus, but his mind kept going back to the night before, at the hospital.

When Danny had seen Steve at the arraignment several days before, after being sentenced to Halawa, he thought he had seen the worst possible face on McGarrett.

He was wrong.

While bad, it did not compare to Steve's face when he told him the Navy was considering starting the process of dismissing him from service. And, for once, Steve did not try to hide his feelings immediately, like he normally did. The face did not last just one fleeting second before being replaced by a mask of confident and determined self-assurance. It lingered as the realization sunk in.

Dismissal; it was the same as a dishonorable discharge. It was worse than if Steve had never served. It meant the Navy would disown him. Humiliated. Disgraced. No services. No pension. No camaraderie. No rank. No respect.

And, worst of all, the knowledge that he was dragging down the McGarrett name after over 80 years of proud and, until now, unblemished Navy service.

Wo Fat could not have planned the destruction of Steven McGarrett more completely.

With the murder allegations and arrests, Wo Fat had taken Steve's respectability and his job. With handcuffs and prison, he had taken his freedom and control. But with the resulting action by the Navy, Wo Fat had taken not only Steve's dignity and his identity, but also his legacy.

There was nothing left for Wo Fat to take, except for Steve's actual life.

Danny sighed and pushed the elevator button for the fourth time.

He really had not wanted to leave Steve like that last night, with him vowing that he was ok while all the evidence was screaming to the contrary. However, since Steve's condition was no longer critical, the doctors were done granting him favors. Danny was relegated to following the rules like any other hospital guest. Which meant following visitation hours; hours that ended when he left last night and would begin again in precisely three minutes.

And to make matters worse, a small crowd of TV reporter's had gathered outside of the main entrance to the hospital. Undoubtedly, they were there to report the whereabouts of the Governor's alleged murderer. It made a nice little juxtaposition to intersperse with the live coverage of her funeral service. Danny only hoped Steve had not turned on his TV that morning or even worse, looked out of his window.

The elevator dinged and Danny stepped inside, immediately pushing both the fourth floor and the "close door" buttons. Ever so slowly, the elevator ascended, dinging as they passed each floor, until it stopped on Steve's floor.

Danny rushed out of the elevator and walked down the hall, turning the corner at the end by Steve's room.

What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

The guard wasn't at his post.

Danny looked both ways down the hall, but did not see the guard anywhere.

He rushed to Steve's door, opened it, and barged inside, his heart racing.

The blinds were still closed even though it was mid-morning. In the dim light, Danny could see the hospital bed was messy. The pillows were punched into contorted shapes and the sheets and blankets were tangled together. Steve's unappetizing breakfast set, untouched, on the bedside tray.

But it was what Danny_ didn't_ see that scared him.

Steve.

He was gone.

_To be continued…_

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	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: hmm... so, where is steve? ;)

Chapter 12

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_Where was Steve?_

Danny tried to think rationally as he looked around Steve's disheveled, but empty, hospital room. _There has to be some logical explanation,_ he thought.

But at the moment, he couldn't think of what it could be. Instead, his mind was jumping to all sorts of bad conclusions, ranging from death to kidnapping to escape. _Or maybe he was sent back to prison… _Danny tried not to think of that one.

_C'mon Danny, think… where should you start looking?_

Suddenly, Danny's detective sensibilities kicked him into action. He strode purposefully out of Steve's room and down the hall to the nurse's station. He didn't even wait for one of the nurses in pink scrubs to look up at him.

"Where's McGarrett?" he demanded.

"Excuse me?" one of the nurses asked, looking up from the chart she was reviewing.

"McGarrett," Danny repeated, emphatically, pointing down the hall for good measure. "Lieutenant Commander Steven McGarrett. Room 412. He's not in his room. _ Where is he?_"

"Calm down, Danny," he heard a tired voice say. "I'm here."

Danny turned around to see Steve standing behind him, slightly hunched over, his left hand handcuffed to his IV pole, his right arm held tight against his chest in a sling. He looked exhausted and pale in his hospital gown, robe, and slippers. The deputy sheriff guarding him stood a few feet behind Steve, his watchful eye wary, with his hand on his sidearm.

"Where have you been?" Danny demanded, his worry now morphing into anger.

"Walking," Steve replied simply.

"Walking?" Danny asked, his voice rising. "Walking? Are you even supposed to be out of bed?"

Steve sighed and started the trek back to his room, Danny easily falling in step with his slow shuffle. The guard followed a few steps behind.

"Doctor cleared me to get up this morning. Told me I'd heal faster if I walked." Steve stopped talking for a few moments to catch his breath, but did not break their turtle-slow pace. After a minute, he resumed speaking. "Doc talked to the sheriff, and since it was medically necessary, he signed off on it. So, been making laps around the floor ever since."

Danny wanted to still be mad, but Steve's pitiful condition was making it hard. So, instead, he threw up his hands and gave up.

"And at what time did all of this happen?" he asked.

"8:00 a.m." Steve answered.

Danny looked at his watch and scrunched up his face. "Are you telling me yesterday you could barely get out of bed and this morning you've already been walking for_ two hours_?"

"Something like that."

Danny rolled his eyes. "You know, you were almost killed three days ago. It's ok if you take it easy for a while."

"And do what?" Steve snorted, as he reached his door. "Watch Days of Our Lives?"

"Sure, why not?" Danny retorted, following Steve into his room. "If it keeps you from trying to run a marathon."

"Trust me, Danny," Steve replied, as he walked over to his bed and sat down, catching his breath. "I did not walk, much less run, 26.2 miles."

"No, of course not," Danny snarked, "you'll save that for tomorrow."

The sheriff followed them into the room and Danny stepped aside so he could unlock Steve's cuff from his wrist and IV pole. Steve got into bed and settled back on his pillows as the sheriff re-attached his left ankle to the bedrail and then left with a curt nod. Danny walked over and closed the door behind him.

With the guard now gone, Steve felt free to talk. "Actually, I had something else in mind for tomorrow."

"Yeah? What is it?" Danny asked as he sat down in the blue chair.

Steve leaned forward, checking the door and making sure it was closed all the way. Then he looked at Danny and said in a low voice, "breaking out of here."

"_Tomorrow?" _ Danny asked, incredulously.

"Why are you so surprised? It was your idea," Steve whispered. "Besides, I can't just sit here, waiting to be sent back to prison. So, I figured out how to escape on my walk. I know the locations of all the entrances, exits, elevators, and stairwells. I found all the security cameras and I know which way they are pointing. I know the staff's routines; when they go on breaks, and when they change out personnel. Danny, I can do it."

"I have no doubt you can do it, Steve," Danny replied, leaning forward, his urgent voice also low. "But your escaping is our _last resort_. We've got three more days before they send you back to prison. You've got to let us try to get the charges cleared. We're making progress- it could happen. _But you have to give us time. You have to trust us to get it done."_

Steve sat silently for a moment, considering what Danny had said.

He did trust the team. He trusted them daily with his life. But when they went on raids, when they were chasing down terrorists, human traffickers, and arms dealers… he was with them. Actively participating. Doing _something_.

Even in prison, he had been doing something_. _Thinking about the cases; acquiring useful items; counting the number of guards; and trying to find his way out.

But now the situation was completely different.

Now he _could_ get out. And then he would be free to help the team clear his and Kono's names. He would have to lay low for a while, until they got everything all sorted out and the charges dropped, but he had no doubt that he could do that as well. And he would actually be doing _something_ besides just sitting in a hospital room waiting for his fate to be determined for him.

However, Danny was asking him to stand down and let the team handle it; to trust them to get it done. Without him. Could he do that?

Danny could sense Steve's internal debate.

"Ok, here," Danny said, "if it makes it any easier for you, just look at it this way. If you escape, one of us, _probably me_, will be obligated to come pick up your sorry butt outside, since I highly doubt any cab is going to stop for a man wearing handcuffs and a hospital gown. And that will make me an accessory to your crime. They'll lock me up and poor Grace will grow up without a father. Is that what you want?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think? Besides, I have a plan for how to get out of the handcuffs."

"I'm sure you do," Danny nodded, earnestly. "But that still doesn't change the fact that you'll be adding one more charge to not only your rap sheet, but mine as well."

Steve closed his eyes and sighed. _Darn. Danny was right. _His actions had repercussions on the team. And for better or worse, all of their fates were linked together. And truth be told, he knew they had been for a long time. He was no longer the Lone Ranger. He really did not have a choice anymore. He would have to trust the team.

Steve opened his eyes and looked over at Danny. "Ok," he said, simply.

"Ok, what?"

"Ok, I'll sit tight and let you work it out."

"Good," Danny nodded. "Now, here's…" he was interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled it out of his pants pocket and looked at it. "It's Kono," he said before answering.

Steve waited, patiently, as Danny listened.

"At noon?" Danny looked at his watch and nodded. "Ok. I'll be there. Bye."

"What was that all about?" Steve asked.

"Charlie Fong at the crime lab found something. He's going to meet us at your house at noon."

"What do you think it is?" Steve asked, concerned.

Danny shook his head. "I have no idea."

***H50***

Charlie looked in the rear view mirror of his car. Again.

He knew he was being irrational. He had left at his usual lunchtime. He headed off in his car in the usual direction driving his usual speed. Everything about his departure from the crime lab screamed "usual". But he kept checking the rear view mirror anyway. Because what he was about to do was anything but usual.

He pulled into the driveway at Steve's house, noticing Kono's car, a motorcycle, a silver Camaro, and one other car he did not recognize. _Looks like everyone's here_, he thought.

He parked the car, breathed in a large breath, and then blew it out. This was it. His last chance to turn back. He looked at the house and then over at the cars and motorcycle again, staring at them for a moment. He knew whom they represented. The question was- where would his allegiance lie?

With them? Or with HPD?

He breathed in and out one more time and then opened his car door, his decision made. He climbed out and walked up to the driveway of the McGarrett home, the gravel crunching under his feet with every step. He slowly walked up the front steps, onto the porch, and rang the doorbell.

Seconds later, Kono answered the door and smiled at him. "Hey, Charlie. Come on in."

"Hey, Kono," Charlie replied with a nod. He stepped inside the house and right into the living room, where the team was assembled, standing, and waiting for him.

"Charlie," Chin nodded, as did Danny. Chin quickly introduced Charlie to Jenna and then got right down to business.

"What do you have for us?" he asked.

"This," Charlie said, pulling a black flash drive out of his pocket and holding it up. "Do you have a computer somewhere?"

"Sure," Kono said. She disappeared into the kitchen briefly and then reappeared, carrying a laptop. She handed it to Charlie, who set it down on the coffee table.

"Were you able to recover the recording?" Chin asked.

Charlie nodded. "Yes, I was. And I think you should listen to it." He sat down in a chair, in front of the laptop, and inserted the flash drive.

The team drew close to the coffee table, Kono and Jenna sitting down on the sofa, Danny and Chin still standing. Steve had already told Danny the gist of his conversation with the Governor and Danny had filled in the team. But none of them knew exactly what the recording would say. They waited as patiently as they could while Charlie navigated the computer screens and pulled up the recording.

Charlie glanced up to make sure they were all ready and then pushed the "play" button.

"I am not the enemy, Steve," the Governor voice said, as clearly as if she was still alive and sitting in Steve's living room with them. "I have always been loyal to the people who have been loyal to me."

"Really?" Steve's voice asked, breathing heavily, cleared unnerved. "Is that why you had Laura Hills murdered? Because she was _disloyal_?"

Danny scrubbed the lower half of his face with his hand and looked down at the weave on the rug as he listened. Knowing Steve had come unglued that night was one thing. Listening to it was another matter all together.

There was a pause in the taped conversation, and then the Governor said, quietly, "yes".

Danny's face shot up and he looked at Chin, their eyes meeting. _Did she just…_

Chin nodded. _Yes. She did._

Their silent conversation was interrupted by the electric sound of a taser being discharged, followed by a loud thump.

Danny grimaced as he heard Steve's body hit the floor. He glanced up and everyone else had the same sickened expression he did. Hearing Steve being tased and falling was even worse than hearing him losing his composure.

There were some muffled noises in the background and then the Governor spoke again.

"What are we going to do? We have to get rid of it," she said, clearly talking to someone.

_Wo Fat. _Danny thought._ She's talking to Wo Fat._

"I have…" another voice said.

And then the recording cut off.

For a moment, nobody moved or said anything. They sat and stood there in silence.

Finally, Danny spoke. "Is that all there is?"

Charlie looked up at him, regretfully. "For the murders of Laura Hills and the Governor, yes. That's it." He paused for a moment, gathering his resolve, and then continued. "But there is something else you should know."

"What's that?" Chin asked, not liking the sound of Charlie's voice.

Charlie looked intently at Chin, then Danny, and lastly Kono. He kept his gaze on her as he said, "I know you stole the money from the asset forfeiture locker. Steve confessed to it on the tape."

_To be continued…_

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	13. Chapter 13

Author's note: I am taking next week off to spend time with my family over the 4th of July holiday. Chapter 14 will be posted on Monday, July 11.

I hope you all have a wonderful time over the break. Be sure to watch the fireworks, listen to some patriotic music, and eat a piece (or two) of apple or cherry pie for me.

And, for my international readers, I hope you have a wonderful week and get to eat some pie, too. (or whatever it is you like to eat)

PS- I promise to make it up to you when I start posting again- chapter 15 is extra long.

Chapter 13

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Danny wasn't sure what to make of Charlie's revelation.

He knew Kono trusted him, and so did Chin. And based on Danny's own limited dealings with Charlie, he seemed like a good guy. But now he was telling the team he knew they were guilty of committing a felony. Against the HPD. Good guy or not, there was no way Danny could tell where Charlie's loyalties lay. And until he knew, he would have to play it close to the vest.

Danny put on his best poker face, revealing nothing, and looked at Charlie. "I want to hear the entire tape," he said.

Charlie nodded. "Ok." He pushed a few more buttons and the recording started up again, this time at the beginning.

The tape started with a thump. _That must be when Steve threw the phone on her desk,_ Danny thought.

"I want a confession." Steve said, breathing heavily, apparently trying to keep it together.

"You have a gun pointed at my head. I'll say whatever you want, Steve," the Governor replied, sounding nervous.

"I want the truth."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I know what you did. I know everything," Steve almost shouted, clearly agitated. Danny's right hand migrated back up to his face as he listened to Steve quickly unraveling. _Keep it together, McGarrett…_

"Then why don't you just go ahead and pull the trigger?" the Governor said, her tone almost taunting Steve to do it.

"Because I want answers," Steve demanded. "Speak."

_Ok,_ Danny thought, _we might be able to use that. If Steve was going to kill her, he could have done it right there. But he didn't. _

"Trust me. That is not what you want," she replied, sternly, as if Steve was a child and she was doing him a favor by keeping him from touching a hot stove.

A phone rang on the recording. Danny quickly glanced up at Chin. He could tell they were both thinking the same thing. _ Who was calling on the phone?_

"Don't touch that phone. Don't answer it," Steve instructed as the phone rang again in the background. "Look at me."

Steve's voice sounded calm again, but Danny knew his partner well enough to know that although the tone of Steve's voice had changed, his mental state had not. His voice was a fake, deadly calm, similar to the eye in the middle of a hurricane. The stronger, and more turbulent, side of the storm had yet to hit.

"I know my father was investigating you," Steve continued, still breathing heavily. "I know about your ties to the Yakuza. I know the Noshimuri brothers. I know about your connection to Wo Fat. My father was getting close to exposing you, wasn't he, Governor, huh? That's why my mother died in that car bomb? Just like Laura Hills. But what I really want to know is who gave the orders? I know Koji Noshimuri set the car bomb that killed my mother. I know Victor Hesse killed my father. But I want to know- who gave the order, Governor? Was it Wo Fat, or was it _you?"_

"You captured the man who shot and killed your father. You took down the people responsible for your mother's murder." The Governor became more arrogant and indignant with every word. _ "I_ gave you the ability to do that. _I_ gave you the immunity and the means. _I protected you._ And when you got into trouble, _I got you out of it_."

"You put the money in the asset forfeiture locker, didn't you?" Steve sneered. "You covered for us."

Danny's heart dropped into his stomach. While Steve did not say the actual words "we stole the money," he might as well have. They had been covering up and denying the crime for a long time. Up until now, the only evidence HPD had against them was the word of an old lady who saw Kono standing on the street. It was circumstantial evidence, at best. But now, the HPD, courtesy of Charlie Fong, would know that Five-0 did, indeed, take the money. _If they didn't already, _Danny thought.

"I was trying to protect you," the Governor answered, matter-of-factly. "Five-0 has done a lot for the people of Hawaii. I wanted that work for continue."

_And there it was. The governor put the money back in the locker. _

"Stop lying to me!" Steve yelled, starting to lose his composure again, the eye of the hurricane eroding and giving way to the storm. "You created Five-0 so you could keep an eye on me, so I wouldn't pick up where my father left off, isn't that right? You keep your friends close but you keep your enemies even closer."

Danny couldn't believe his ears._ What the hell? Steve didn't mention that part… _

"I am not the enemy, Steve."

And with that, Charlie stopped the tape. They had already heard the rest.

The room was deathly quiet as they all sat, stunned, trying to absorb what they had heard.

They were going to get nailed for stealing the ten million dollars. That much was clear. With Steve's admission, he, Kono, and possibly Danny would be charged for the crime. And while Chin did not actually steal the money, he did give them the blueprints, showing them how to break in. He would be charged as well.

They were all looking at prison time.

And their jobs, their careers, which all of them lost, except for Chin, would never be a possibility again. No law enforcement agency would ever touch them after this.

And evidently, Five-0 was just a means for the Governor to keep tabs on them, making sure they didn't get close enough to know the truth. About her. About Wo Fat. About who was really running the crime empire on this island they called home.

She gave them just enough leeway so they could arrest a few criminals and feel like they were making a difference. But they had been pawns the whole time. They had been played and never even suspected a thing.

It was a lot to take in at once.

Danny exchanged a long, serious look with Chin. Then he looked at Kono, and, finally, Jenna before he turned his attention to Charlie.

Danny cleared his voice. It was time to find out how bad this really was.

"Who's heard this tape, Charlie?" he asked, calmly.

Charlie looked solemn. "Only me," he said and then looked around the room. "And, now, all of you."

"Ok," Danny let out a deep breath. Now it was time for the million dollar question. Or, more accurately, the ten million dollar question. "So, what are you going to do with it now?"

Charlie looked apologetic. "I'm going to give it to HPD."

Danny closed his eyes. _Crap… it was really going to hit the fan now…_

"But," Danny opened his eyes as Charlie continued, "I'm going to tell them the recording was compromised and fractured. As soon as I get back to the office, I'll give them the back part, where the Governor admits she killed Laura Hills and you can hear the taser being discharged and someone else in the room."

Danny nodded, pursing his lips together. _Ok, we can work with that. Between that and the other evidence, maybe we can get Steve cleared of both counts of murder. _

Charlie looked at all of them again, sorrowfully, and shook his head. "But I'm sorry, my job's on the line with this. I'll be fired and probably arrested for obstruction if I don't give them the entire tape eventually."

Charlie paused and sighed. He wasn't happy with the options available to him. He respected the members of Five-0 and cared personally about Kono. But he was doing the best he could with the cards he was dealt out of a very crummy deck. "The best I can do is stall and buy you some time. I'll tell them I'm still working on restoring the rest of it, but I'll have to give it to them soon."

"Ok," Danny said, blowing out a breath. That was probably the most they could hope for. "How much time can you give us?"

"I'll give them the rest of the recording at the close of business tomorrow. That way, maybe it will be the next day before they look at it. I'm sorry," Charlie said, looking specifically at Kono, "but that's the most I can do."

Kono understood and gave him a quick nod, her eyes grateful. "Thank you," she said, quietly.

Chin and Danny nodded their thanks as well. Charlie was going out on a limb for them as it was. They could not ask him to do any more.

Danny looked at his watch. "All right, if Charlie hands over the rest of the tape at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, that gives us about 28 hours. Best case scenario, if they don't look at it until 8:00 a.m. the next morning, we can add on another 15 hours. So, at most, we have 43 hours before they know we stole the money." _Less than two days… and maybe as little as one…_

The clock was ticking.

_To be continued…_

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	14. Chapter 14

Author's notes: I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July yesterday! For the record, I ate three pieces of homemade apple pie! And, yes, it was good! :)

I wanted to let you guys know that I finished writing the story this weekend. There are 27 chapters plus an epilogue, so 28 chapters in total. Which means with today's posting, we are at the halfway mark! Yeah! Which also means if I keep with my standard twice a week updating schedule, the epilogue will be posted on August 25. Back in May, I told you I'd do my best to entertain you the entire summer, so it looks like that's a promise I'll get to keep. :)

So, I can sense the question already- if I have it written, why not post it all sooner?

Good question. The story may be written, but it's not really finalized yet, for two reasons:

1) I like to tinker with my stories and get them exactly how I want them before I post. (Yes, I am a person who will agonize over a single word choice for an hour). And sometimes I change things even after I've posted, lol. But I try to limit "after-posting" changes to correcting typos.

2) Not sure if you guys know this or not, but I do change the story based on your reviews as well. For example, there was a lot of interest in Steve's potential dismissal from the Navy, so that has become a larger part of the story going forward than I originally intended. So, if you were wondering if your reviews really matter, the answer is a resounding "yes"! I do aim to please, so let me know what interests you and I will do my best to accommodate you within the framework of the story.

I hope that makes sense. And if August 25 seems like too long to wait for the conclusion, please let me know that as well. I might be able to post three times a week on occasion, just to speed things up. I want you all to enjoy the story but I also don't want you to lose interest because it goes on too long! So, talk to me and let me know your thoughts. I promise I don't bite. :)

And now, back to the story...

*H50*

Chapter 14

***************************************H50*****************************************

Chin left Steve's house and rode back to HPD on his motorcycle as fast as he could. Grey clouds were quickly gathering in the sky, threatening rain, and he could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. A storm was definitely coming their way. He wondered where the promise of the beautiful day had gone.

He knew he had precious little time before Charlie would send over the first of the two files; the part that would, hopefully, help exonerate Steve from Laura Hills' murder. But he would need more than the confession of a person held at gunpoint to get the charges dropped. He also needed proof that the fingerprints found in Laura's house were fake. And that evidence was due back from the crime lab at any minute.

Chin pulled into the parking lot and managed to get inside the HPD headquarters just moments before the sky opened up and poured out its rain.

He strode purposefully over to Duke, who was sitting at his desk, reading. Duke looked up as Chin approached.

"What do you have there, Duke?" Chin asked. He was glad to have Duke Lukela working with him on the case. Duke had always been a friend to Chin, even after his dismissal from HPD years earlier. And he had been a good friend to 5-0, as well, even going as far as to call Chin to tip him off that HPD was coming to arrest Steve. There was nobody else in HPD Chin would rather have by his side.

"A report that just came in from the crime lab on the fake fingerprints they took from Kaai's house," Duke said, holding up the papers he had been reading.

"What does it say?" Chin asked, urgently.

"That they found a transparency full of fingerprints labeled with the initials 'S.M.' Apparently, Kaai was a bit meticulous and kept everything neatly organized, which made the process go a lot faster. They were able to match the prints on the transparency to McGarrett."

"And they are 100% positive the prints belong to Steve?" Chin asked.

Duke nodded. "Yes, it's a 100% match. And they were able to match the prints to both the prints at Laura Hills' house and to McGarrett's prints they had on file. So, it looks like there is no way to prove, without a doubt, that the fingerprints at Ms. Hills' house were made by McGarrett and not faked by Mr. Kaai."

Chin breathed out a sigh of relief; this was the break they needed. "Have you told the Chief yet?"

"No," Duke shook his head. "I've only had the report about 15 minutes. I got it right before you walked in."

"Ok," Chin nodded. "Please make two copies; one for me and one for the Chief."

Chin would read over the report and bide his time until the tape arrived. Then, he would go present them both to the Chief. Surely between the evidence of the forged fingerprints and the Governor's taped confession, he could get Laura Hills' murder charge against Steve dropped.

And, if he presented his case well, he might be able to get Steve cleared of the Governor's murder, too.

***H50***

"And how do you know this tape wasn't fabricated? I thought when we looked for the recording, it wasn't there," Police Chief Mahaka asked, two hours later, as Chin and Charlie sat in his office.

"It was deleted off the phone, but I was able to recover it," Charlie answered. "The time date stamp of the file coincides with the time the gunshots were reported at the Governor's mansion. HPD recovered the phone from the crime scene, on the Governor's desk, and it has been in the proper chain of custody ever since. So, even if someone was to create a fictitious file, there wouldn't have been an opportunity for them to place it on the phone."

"And you are sure this is the Governor's voice?" the Chief asked, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his desk.

Charlie nodded. "Yes. I ran voice analysis on it this morning. It does match. And so does McGarrett's."

"So, who is the other voice on the recording?" he asked.

"We think it belongs to a man named Wo Fat," Chin answered. "At the mansion that night, McGarrett told me that Wo Fat was the one who murdered the Governor. He also said the same thing to Danny Williams and to the HPD officers who interrogated him that night. He has consistently maintained that Wo Fat pulled the trigger. So, if that is true, it must be his voice."

Chief Mahaka looked at Charlie. "Did you run voice recognition on the third voice as well?"

Charlie nodded grimly. "Yes, we did; but we didn't get a hit on it. The Governor and McGarrett were easy to match- we already had their voices on file. But we don't have a sample of Wo Fat's voice for comparison to rule one way or the other."

"But we do still have McGarrett as an eyewitness," Chin reminded the Chief. "Plus, his clothes, hands, and gloves all tested negative for GSR. And the medical experts at the crime lab already concluded that McGarrett did have taser marks on his neck that night. All of which collaborate his assertion that he did not shoot the Governor."

The Chief leaned back in his chair and pressed his fingers together, deep in thought.

Hearing the tape had definitely been shocking.

HPD had never seriously considered the Governor as a suspect for Laura Hills' murder, so the last thing he expected to hear was her confessing to the murder on tape. Whether the confession was made under duress or not, he could not say, but it could be enough to create reasonable doubt in the mind of a jury. Even if they had the right man in McGarrett, which he now doubted, they probably wouldn't be able to make Laura Hills' murder charge stick. He would talk to Prosecutor Roberts later and present the new evidence to her, but it would be her call as to whether or not the charges got dropped.

The charge against McGarrett for the Governor's murder was something else entirely.

The last thing he wanted to do was to let the Governor's suspected murderer go free, especially since she had been laid to rest just a few hours earlier. To say that would make HPD look bad was be an understatement. The Governor's murder had become national news. Not to mention that she was beloved by the people of Hawaii, who were deeply mourning her passing. And now, they might have to stand up at a press conference and say they had the wrong man. The timing could not be any worse.

But the truth was the evidence pointed to someone besides McGarrett.

Chief Mahaka sighed and sat back upright in his chair, his decision made.

"Thank you, gentlemen," he said, nodding at Chin and Charlie, dismissing them from his office.

He waited until they had left the room, closing the door behind them, before he pressed the intercom button on his phone.

"Yes?" his assistant answered, her voice crackling through the line.

"Please get Prosecutor Roberts on the phone," the Chief answered. "I need to speak to her immediately."

***H50***

"So, you're telling me we might have less than 24 hours before HPD knows we stole the money?" Steve whispered. He was propped up against the pillows on his hospital bed, having already changed into the t-shirt and pajama pants Danny had brought him from the house. Danny had also brought him dinner, which Steve had eagerly eaten, his appetite returning when presented with something that he considered "real food".

Danny nodded, grimly. "Yes."

Steve exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, rubbing his left hand over his face. What a mess.

He never should have said a word about the money in the asset forfeiture locker on tape, even if it was just between the Governor and him. Before, he could have just claimed responsibility and told HPD he stole the money by himself. It would have been over, just like that.

But he hadn't; and now HPD was going to hear him say the word "us" on tape. He might be able to spin it as a misspoken word, but HPD would continue their investigation. Kono and Chin would get nailed as well, and most likely, Danny, too.

But maybe, just maybe, if he spoke up now _before _they got the tape, he might be able to protect them somehow...

"The answer is no," Danny said, sternly.

Steve opened his eyes and looked over at Danny, confused. "What?"

"I can see what you're thinking. I can read your faces, remember?" Danny replied, leaning forward in his chair, his voice low so the guard would not overhear. "And the answer is 'no'. You are_ not_ going to throw yourself under the bus to save the rest of us. We got into this together; we'll get out of it together."

"Danny…"

"No, no 'Danny'," he said shaking his head and wagging a finger. "If I have to, I'll duct tape your mouth shut. I have no doubt I could find a roll or two of it at your house. And, if I was thinking, I would have brought some with me. We still have a little time to get this figured out. So, you will not, I repeat,_ will not,_ go and say something stupid."

Steve opened his mouth to protest, but closed it when Danny's phone rang.

Danny pulled his phone out of his pocket and put it up to his face.

"Hey Chin," he answered.

Steve waited as patiently as he could as Danny listened on the phone. Chin's call could mean either good news or bad news. And while he was hoping for the good, recent experience told him to be prepared for the bad.

"Seriously?" Danny asked, disbelieving.

_Ok, that could also be good or bad…_ Steve thought.

"Ok, Chin. Thanks. See you at the house shortly," Danny said and then hung up the phone.

"So, what were you talking about?" Steve asked, impatiently.

"You," Danny said, breaking out into a wide grin. "How would you like to go home?"

_To be continued…_

*****************************************H50****************************************

Author's notes: See? I don't_ always_ write an evil cliffhanger ending. Just usually. ;D

And, on that happy note, I hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll see you back here with Chapter 15 on Monday, July 11! :D


	15. Chapter 15

Author's notes: Thanks for the feedback, guys! Looks like August 25 will be our end date. :)

Once again, I appreciate you guys reading, reviewing, and hanging in there with me. And, as always, a million thanks to my betas, cokie316 and rogue tomato.

Now, here is an extra long and (*gasp*) _happy_ chapter! It's about time, right? :D

Chapter 15

**************************************H50***************************************

Steve never thought he could be so happy to see his house.

As Danny had expected, Steve decided to sign himself out of the hospital against medical advice the second he heard the prosecutor had dropped both murder charges.

The whole process only took one hour, but to Steve, it was an eternity.

First, he had to wait for the sheriff who was guarding him to get the word and take the cuff off his ankle. Once it was off, Steve shook hands, left-handed, with him. Although Steve was not fond of being guarded, the deputy had done his job well and had treated Steve fairly.

Then, he had to wait for the doctor on call to come visit him and tell him what a dumb decision he was making. When it became apparent Steve wasn't going to change his mind, or really even listen, for that matter, the doctor turned his attention to Danny and told him everything to watch out for. He also handed Danny a script for painkillers, which Danny was sure would never get filled.

Finally, one of the hospital administrators presented Steve with a stack of paperwork, each piece stating the same thing; that he was on his own and the hospital couldn't be held liable if something went wrong. Steve signed them all as quickly as he could, his left-handed scrawl messy and illegible, to say the least. But that really did not matter, nor did he really care.

He was going home.

It was around 11:00 p.m. when Danny pulled into the driveway. All the lights were still on in the house and Chin, Kono, and Jenna were waiting for him on the front porch.

Kono ran up to the Camaro as it pulled to a stop and opened Steve's car door for him. "Welcome home, Boss," she said, a huge smile lighting up her face.

Steve got out of the car, returning her smile, and carefully gave her a hug. "It's good to be home," he said. "And it's also good to see you."

"What are we? Chopped liver?" Chin joked, a smile threatening to break his face in half, as he and Jenna walked off the porch.

Steve laughed and broke his hug with Kono. "No, of course not, man," he said, giving Chin a hug as well as a few claps on the back. Then he pulled back and clasped his left hand on Chin's arm. "Thank you," Steve said, sincerely. He knew he owed Chin a debt of gratitude.

"No problem, brah. It's no more than what you've already done for me," Chin said, nodding once, both acknowledging and dismissing the debt at the same time.

Steve returned Chin's nod and dropped his hand from Chin's arm, turning towards Jenna.

"Glad you're back," she said, giving him hug.

"Thanks, Jenna," he replied, then broke off their hug and turned towards the house.

Steve walked slowly up to the house, a little worse for wear, and still favoring his right arm and hand. But he smiled as he climbed up the front porch stairs, with Danny and Kono on one side of him, Chin and Jenna on the other, listening to their happy chatter.

As good as it was to be home, it was even better to be with his friends.

***H50***

Steve was up at 5:00 a.m. the next morning.

He had wanted to start working the minute he walked into his living room the night before. But Danny had insisted he go to bed and get some sleep instead, promising that they would all be there, bright and early in the morning, to start their last push to find something to absolve them of their crime.

Steve really didn't think he'd be able to sleep, but his exhausted and battered body quickly overrode his brain. He was asleep within seconds and didn't wake until his internal clock went off early the next morning.

He slowly got out of bed, acutely feeling each ache and pain. His right hand, in particular, was throbbing wildly. Steve made his way to the bathroom, where he opened up the medicine cabinet and took out a bottle of Advil. _Darn child-proof caps,_ he thought. It took him a minute to line up the arrows on the cap with his left hand and pop off the lid with his teeth. He shook two tablets out onto the vanity and quickly dry-swallowed them. Then, he put the bottle back in the medicine cabinet, leaving the lid off for next time.

He stood in the hot shower for a while, letting the water and steam work on the kinks in his tight muscles. After getting out, he very carefully pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of cargos, grateful he only had to fasten one button. Then he put his right arm in the sling and stiffly walked downstairs to the kitchen.

Like taking the Advil and getting dressed, making coffee took a little longer than usual since he had to use his left hand instead of his right. But he managed to get it done with only slight trouble, and walked into the living room to stare at the easels while the coffee brewed.

Everything was laid out logically, and between the easels, pictures, and copious amount of paper binder-clipped together in stacks and files, Steve could tell the team had been very busy in his absence. He smiled to himself, both proud of the quality of their work and touched by their determination to help him. He couldn't ask for a better team.

The smell of the coffee wafted into the living room and Steve returned to the kitchen to pour himself a cup. He had just opened the cabinet door to get down a mug when he heard the front door swing open. He grinned and got down a second mug. "Good morning, Danny," he called.

"Morning," Danny replied, as he walked into the kitchen, frowning. "I'll never understand why you get up this early," he complained.

"The early bird catches the worm," Steve replied, still grinning, as he handed Danny a cup of coffee.

"The early bird is welcome to the worm," Danny grumbled. "I'd rather have something tastier, and at a much later hour, thank you very much."

"So then, why are you here so early?" Steve asked, and then took a sip of coffee.

"I knew you'd be up," Danny said, with a wave of his hand. "Thought I could get you up to speed before everyone shows up. Besides," he added, sitting down at the kitchen table, "we're down to 12 hours before Charlie hands over the tape. If there was ever a day to get up at an atrocious hour, today would be it."

Steve nodded, grimly, and took a seat, joining Danny at the table. "Then let's get to it."

***H50***

Two hours later, Steve was up to speed and the entire team was there, floating theories, sifting through the evidence, trying to find or think of something to get them out of the impending first degree theft charges. However, it was much harder to find something that proved you were innocent when, in fact, you actually had committed the crime.

"OK," Steve said, frustrated, running his hand down his face and behind his neck. "We're spinning our wheels. Let's just sit back for a minute and talk this through. Maybe something will come to us."

"Alright," Danny nodded, "let's start with…" he was interrupted by the front door opening.

"Heard that someone in here flew da coop," Kamekona said with a smile as he lumbered through the door holding a brown paper sack.

"Kamekona," Steve said, grinning as he struggled to get up off the sofa. He walked towards the large man, his left arm extended out for a man-hug.

"Howzit, brah?" Kamekona grinned, ignoring the man-hug gesture and instead enveloping Steve in a huge bear hug, squeezing him tightly and almost lifting him off the floor.

"Agh," Steve grimaced, "watch the ribs and hand, there."

"Sorry, brah," Kamekona said as he released his hold on Steve. "Just good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Kamekona. I understand I have you to thank for the lead on the fake fingerprints. Do I need to put on one of your t-shirts and go stand outside of Waiola Shave Ice to pay you back?" Steve joked with a grin.

Kamekona waved his hand dismissively, grinning back. "Dat one was on the house, brah. Just glad it helped. And speakin' of help, I brought somethin' for you," he added, holding up the brown paper bag in his hand.

"Yeah? What is it? 'Cause if it's spam and eggs, I have to tell you, I already ate breakfast."

"Nah. I know you don' like da spam. Got you dis instead." He reached into the bag and pulled out a SIG-Sauer P226 E2 with a tactical light/laser mounted on the frame. "Knew da cops still had yours, so thought you'd like another one."

Steve smiled broadly and took the gun from him. "Nice," he said, feeling the weight of it and turning it at different angles to check it out. "It's perfect, Kamekona. Thank you," he said, sincerely.

"Wow, Steve," Danny teased, "You're checking out that gun more seriously than you check out the women who are always flirting with you. I always knew there was something wrong with you."

"Well, this gun is more important to me than those women," he retorted with a grin. "I've got Catherine, remember?"

"Yes, I do remember Rambo-ette," Danny nodded. "And now, I have two questions for you. First," he said, pointing to the gun, "do you know how to shoot that thing left-handed?"

"Yes," Steve replied, as if it were no big deal.

Danny chuckled and shook his head. "I knew it. And second, do I even want to know where that gun came from?"

"No," Kamekona and Steve answered in unison, shaking their heads.

Danny laughed. "I didn't think so."

Steve looked over at Chin, who was standing, his arms folded over his chest. "And Chin, you didn't see _anything_, right?"

"See what, Boss?" the HPD lieutenant replied with a grin.

Steve chuckled and put the SIG down on the coffee table.

"So," Kamekona said, looking appraisingly around the room, noting the easels, pictures, and papers everywhere, "what's you guys workin' on? Thought all da charges been dropped."

Steve looked at Danny, Chin, Kono, and finally Jenna. All of their eyes said the same thing; _it's your call._

Steve quickly weighed the options. He could blow off Kamekona's question, tell him the truth, or something in between. It was a quick decision. Convicted felon or not, Kamekona had been a good friend to Steve and 5-0. He deserved as close to the truth as Steve could tell him.

"We're still working on something," Steve admitted. "IA is investigating Kono; they think she took some money."

"Ah," Kamekona nodded, knowingly. "Da money from da HPD locker?"

"How did you know that?" Chin asked, incredulously.

"I hear things," Kamekona replied with a shrug.

"That coconut wireless is better than I thought," Danny grumbled.

"You think somethin' here is gonna help you?" Kamekona asked, eyeing the pictures on the easels.

"We don't know," Steve shrugged, "but for the IA investigation, probably not. We had most of this information before the theft occurred. The only thing new since then is this orange key," he said, holding up the locker key that Laura Hills had sent him. It was the only item he had received which was not in the Champ box originally.

"A Wet 'n' Wild key?" Kamekona asked, puzzled.

"What did you say?" Steve asked, disbelieving. They had been all around town looking for lockers with orange keys to no avail. Nothing had panned out.

"Wet 'n' Wild. Dat's one of da kine."

"And you're sure?" Steve asked urgently.

"Sure. Got myself a franchise set-up right by da lockers. It's a great location; right in da middle. Everybody walks by hot and thirsty and I've got shave ices ready for them. It's my most profitable franchise; makes a good return on my investment."

Steve looked at his watch. It was only 7:30 a.m. "Ok, we need to go check the lockers as soon as we can. What time does the park open?" he asked.

"At 10:30 a.m." Kamekona replied.

Steve sighed. It was hard to believe that they had gotten a break on the key and would now have to wait three more hours to act on it.

"But," Kamekona continued, "if you wanna go check it out now, I can get you in. Got a vendor pass to bring in supplies."

"Thank you," Steve replied, relieved. He picked up the SIG and tucked into the back of his waistband and then turned to Danny. "You with me?"

"Do you really think you're physically able to go traipsing around a water park just hours after you checked out of the hospital AMA?" Danny asked. "Why don't you stay here and rest? Kono and I will go."

Steve shot Danny a deadly look that brooked no argument. "I'm going."

"Ok, ok," Danny acquiesced, holding up his hands in surrender. "But just so you know, you better be able to walk the whole way. I'm not pushing your butt around the park in some Shamu kiddie stroller."

"I think that's Sea World, Danny," Steve retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Doesn't matter," Danny said, shaking his head. "It's still not going to happen."

"Don't have to worry 'bout that, brah," Kamekona piped up with a lift of his head and a smile. "Got somethin' better."

***H50***

"Wow," Danny said. "I'm not really sure if this is better or not."

He walked around the service dock at Wet 'n' Wild, looking at the Waiola Shave Ice golf cart, complete with a painting of Kamekona's large, baby blue face on the front.

"Although, I've got to tell you," Danny continued, waving his hand near the roof of the cart, "I'm kind of disappointed you don't have any fringe on top of your little surrey, here."

"You don' like it, you can walk," Kamekona replied, hitching his thumb over his shoulder as he settled himself into the driver's seat.

"No, I'm good," Danny replied, climbing on the back of the cart, next to Steve.

The drive to the middle of the park was a short one and they pulled up to a stop by the shave ice stand and lockers just a few minutes later.

Steve stepped off the cart as soon as it came to a stop, Danny right behind him, and started looking for the correct locker. When Steve found it seconds later, on the third row from the bottom, his breath hitched.

There wasn't a key in the locker. Maybe they had finally found the right one after all.

_Only one way to find out,_ he thought.

Steve eased himself into a squat in front of the locker and held his breath as he inserted the key.

It fit.

He gave Danny a quick look and then turned the key to the right.

_To be continued… _

*************************************H50******************************************

Author's note: you really didn't think I'd tell you what's in there _yet,_ did you? ;)


	16. Chapter 16

Author's notes: "What's in the locker? WHAT'S IN THE LOCKER? AAAUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" LOL- I love you guys. I really, really do. :D

And speaking of loving you guys, "enemies" hit 300 reviews on the last chapter (thank you, kimber, for writing review #300. I wish I had a prize for you, but, alas, I don't.) If you had told me when I started this story that I would get 300 reviews, I would have said you were crazy. Well, actually, I would have said you were on crack. But, here we are and I am flabbergasted. Which might be a bit of either a country bumpkin or an SAT word, but it conveys my meaning perfectly. Flabbergasted, amazed, humbled, thankful, grateful… pick a word out of the thesaurus and I'm sure it would apply. And, I hope you know, that I do read and treasure every single review and comment you send my way.

So, I offer a sincere and hearty "thank you" to you all. You guys are why I write, and you are also what makes writing fun. I wish I could hug you all. And make you brownies. The good kind, with frosting. :)

But enough rambling from me, I think you wanted to know what was in the locker, right? ;)

Chapter 16

************************************************H50**************************************************

Steve held his breath as he heard the lock click.

He couldn't believe it. After weeks of frustration, they had finally found the right locker.

He quickly opened it up and looked inside, where he saw a single, large manila envelope. He withdrew it and saw his name written in the familiar, loopy cursive writing that labeled all of the envelopes he had received. It was Laura Hills' handwriting, as if she was reaching out to help them from beyond the grave.

He quickly turned the envelope over and undid the metal clasp on the back. He opened the flap and peered inside.

"What's in there?" Danny asked, looking over Steve's shoulder, trying to get a look.

"Looks like some paperwork and a flash drive," Steve answered as he carefully stood up. He handed the envelope to Danny, unable to remove the contents one-handed.

Danny pulled out the papers and shuffled through them for a few moments, Steve standing and looking on by his side. "Looks like some accounting-type ledger sheets and bank confirmations," Danny mumbled. "But we'll need to be able to spread them out to get a better look." He shoved the paperwork back into the envelope.

Steve nodded. "Let's go."

There was not a moment to lose.

***H50***

Upon arriving back at the house, they quickly divided the paperwork between Kono and Jenna, who went to work in the kitchen, while Steve and Danny took the flash drive into the living room. Chin had already gone back to work at HPD, promising to stay in touch throughout the day.

"Ok, let's see what we've got here," Danny said as he plugged the flash drive into the side of the laptop. It took a few moments for the computer to recognize the flash drive and then a few more for him to navigate to the correct screen. He was rewarded when five files popped up.

"Looks like they're audio files," Steve murmured, leaning forward to look from his seat on the sofa next to Danny. Each of the files had a cryptic title that looked like gibberish. Some of the files were longer than others, but all in all, they were relatively short. The only readily identifiable characteristic that differentiated them was the date. Two files were a day apart, two more were dated a week or so later, with the last file dated six weeks after that.

"Where do you want to start?" Danny asked.

"Might as well start with the first one," Steve said, pointing to the first file with the earliest date, December 23, 2010.

Danny clicked on the file and it began to play.

Steve was surprised to hear the Governor's voice speaking.

"We need to talk. He knows you're alive," she said.

_Who knows who's alive?_ Steve thought.

"So, what do you want me to do about it?" a voice answered.

If Steve was surprised to hear the Governor's voice on the file, he was even more stunned to hear who she was talking to.

_Victor Hesse,_ Steve realized. _Wait. No, wait… it can't be… the Governor… Victor Hesse… December 23…_ Steve closed his eyes and groaned.

Danny noticed Steve's reaction and paused the playback of the file. "Steve? Are you ok?" he asked, turning to his right and looking at his partner, concerned.

Steve slumped back into the sofa cushions and rubbed his hand over his eyes.

"Steve?" Danny asked again, noticing Steve looked pale, drawn, and more than a bit sick. When he didn't get a response, Danny touched him on his left arm, becoming more concerned. "Steve? What is it?"

Steve removed his hand from his face and opened his eyes, looking sorrowfully at Danny. "She's talking about me."

"Come again?" Danny asked, not following.

"The Governor. She's talking to Hesse," Steve explained. "When she said 'he knows you're alive', she was talking about me knowing Hesse was alive. I called and told her Hesse was alive when I saw him on the security tape footage from the Ikalani Resort."

Danny slowly nodded, catching on. "The case where Hesse tossed the arms dealer into the ocean with two slugs in the back of his head. That was the same day…" his voice trailed off as he thought. "Wait, you don't think…" Danny's voice trailed off again.

"Yeah," Steve nodded and sighed, deeply, his eyes still grieved. "I do. And there's only one way to find out," he said, slowly sitting back up and gesturing towards the computer.

Danny reluctantly clicked on the "play" button again, afraid of what they might hear next.

"I want you to take care of it," the Governor said.

"I can kill McGarrett, no problem," Hesse answered.

"No," the Governor replied. "His father was just killed. If he gets killed, too, it'll raise too much suspicion. We need to distract McGarrett and his team another way."

"What did you have in mind?" Hesse asked.

The Governor paused for a moment, evidently thinking. Then she responded, "kidnap one of them. I don't care who, just not McGarrett. Then put him or her in a public place, where the whole team can watch. Wait a while, so 5-0 can squirm, and then demand a ten million dollar ransom. They'll have to come to me for the money; there's no other way they can get it. I'll deny giving it to them and then you'll be free to kill whomever you picked. McGarrett will be so traumatized by the death, we won't have to worry about him or 5-0 anymore."

Steve felt sick down to the very pit of his stomach. He was right. Chin's kidnapping had been his fault. If only he'd never made that call to the Governor… if only he hadn't told her Hesse was alive… if only he'd seen through her faster… then none of this would have ever happened. To Chin. To his team. To him.

The tape continued.

"And you think this will work?" Hesse asked. "When I killed McGarrett's father, it only made him more determined to find me. What makes you think killing one of his team won't do the same thing?"

"It might make him more determined, but that won't matter," the Governor replied. "McGarrett is used to working with soldiers, not civilians. If he loses one of his team, he will do anything to avoid losing another. Not only will he start second-guessing himself, he will also question his judgment. He'll become cautious and want backup for even the simplest operations. By the time 5-0 becomes mobilized to do anything, it will be too late and the opportunity will have passed."

"Alright. If you're sure," Hesse confirmed.

"Trust me," the Governor reiterated, confidently. "Watching one of his people die in front of him will destroy McGarrett, especially if he is powerless to do anything about it."

The audio file ended there.

Steve and Danny sat in silence for a moment, taking it in.

_Heese had been telling the truth,_ Steve thought, bitterly. _It never was about the money. It really was about taking the life of someone who worked under me. _

Danny turned to look at Steve, with sympathy. "Steve…" he began.

Steve held up his hand, his face taut and jaw clenched, anger building up inside of him. "Save it," he said, brusquely. "Just play the next one."

Danny sighed and turned back to the computer. He clicked on the next audio file, dated December 24, and listened as it began to play.

"McGarrett got the money," Hesse said.

"How?" the Governor asked, sounding stunned.

"I don't know, but he says he has it. It could just be a bluff, to get a meeting with me," Hesse rationalized.

"I don't think he'd risk that… there's too much at stake. He must have gotten it from somewhere. But it's important he doesn't get it back; we might be able to hang it over his head later as leverage. So, make sure it gets destroyed."

"I can do that," Heese replied. "I'll make a signal fire for the meet and burn it."

"That's fine," the Governor answered. "Just make sure all of it gets burned. Call me when you're done. Oh, and no matter what," she added, her voice as cold as ice, "make sure you still kill Kelly."

The playback stopped as the second audio file ended.

Once again, Steve and Danny sat in silence for a few minutes, contemplating what they had just heard.

Then Steve leaned forward, his left elbow on his knee, and closed his eyes, covering them with his hand. He sighed and then rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to fend off the impending headache.

Danny spoke first.

"Steve, you had no way of knowing," he said, gently. "There was nothing you could have seen or done any differently."

"But that's just it!" Steve exploded, opening his eyes and looking up. He pushed himself up off the couch and began pacing the floor, gesturing with his good hand. "I should have known! I worked Naval Intelligence, for crying out loud! I lead 5-0!" He balled his hand up into a fist as he continued pacing, his voice getting louder with each sentence. "I read and interrogate people for a living, Danny! I should have seen she was hiding something! That she wasn't honest!"

"Ok," Danny said, standing and holding his hands up, trying to talk Steve down off the ledge. "Let's just take a step back, here. The Governor was a politician, Steven. Which means she was a highly skilled, professional liar. I'm willing to bet she could have lied all day, hooked up to a polygraph, and it never would have blipped. There was no way, and I repeat, _no way_ you could have known. You did what you had to do, and you saved Chin's life."

"A lot of good that will do him if he has to spend it behind bars!" Steve shouted, his good arm slashing through the air, taking down an easel that was in his path.

"Nobody's going to prison, yet," Danny continued calmly, walking towards Steve and trying to be the voice of reason. "We still have time to figure this out. We have three more files to listen to and Kono and Jenna are looking at the paperwork," he said, motioning towards the ladies, who had come into the living room when Steve began shouting. "We'll come up with something. The day's not over yet."

Steve took a few deep breaths as he paced, hand on his hip, trying to calm himself down. He quickly glanced over at Kono and Jenna, both of whom looked more than a little scared by his outburst. After a minute, he stopped pacing, looked at fallen easel, and then looked at them. He mumbled an apologetic, "sorry."

"No problem, Boss," Kono replied, still looking concerned. "Do you guys need some help in here?"

"No, we're fine, Kono. But thanks," Danny answered, kindly, effectively dismissing them.

Kono did not look convinced, but decided not to push the issue. Steve was in good hands with Danny. If anyone could calm Steve down, it was him. She and Jenna disappeared back into the kitchen.

Danny walked over to the easel and reached down, picking it and setting it upright again. "I swear, McGarrett, you haven't been out of the hospital for 24 hours and you're already destroying things." If the circumstances hadn't been so serious, Danny would have been amused by the chagrinned expression on Steve's face.

The easel now back in place, Danny moved to his partner's side and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You good, now?" he asked.

Steve took another deep breath in, blew it out, and nodded.

"Ok," Danny said, squeezing his shoulder before removing his hand. "Are you ready to hear the next file?"

Steve stared over at the computer for a minute before nodding again and moving to the sofa, sitting back down.

If the first two files were that bad, he could only imagine what secrets the other three held.

_To be continued…_

************************************************H50************************************************


	17. Chapter 17

Author's notes: I'd like to offer a warm "welcome" to all the newcomers who came aboard last week and thank you for the alerts and favs. I am happy to have you along for the ride and joining in my "let's try to entertain ourselves while we impatiently wait for season two" party. :D There is plenty of room on the sofa, so take a seat, kick back, and get comfy. We still have plenty of chapters left to go. :)

Speaking of chapters, I have a confession to make... I wrote another one. (please don't shoot me). So, instead of this story having 27 chapters and an epilogue, it's now 28 chapters and an epilogue. (again, please don't shoot me). However, I will stick by my promise of ending on August 25. I'll just squeeze in three chapters one week. I hope that's ok. (and I'm sure if I post three chapters in one week, you'll review them all, right? right?) ;)

Now, back to *this* chapter, and those last 3 files...

Chapter 17

****************************************H50*************************************

Danny clicked on the third audio file on the computer, dated December 29, 2010.

Once again, he and Steve listened as the Governor began to talk.

"Laura, I need you to help me with something that will require your… discretion."

"Of, course, Governor," Laura Hills replied, quickly. "What is it?"

"I received an anonymous tip that some money might have gone missing from one of the governmental accounts. I need you to find out if that is true."

"Ok," Laura answered, hesitantly, "I can do that. But wouldn't that be something the accounting office should investigate?"

"No," the Governor replied, "I'm not sure I can trust them. I don't know who took the money. It could have very well been someone from the accounting department. On this, I trust only you; do not breathe a word of this to anyone else. Do you understand?" she asked, pointedly.

_What a slimy, lying witch,_ Danny thought.

"Yes," Laura said, more confidently, the explanation evidently appeasing the red flags raised by her conscience. "Where would you like for me to start?"

"Look at any account with at least ten million dollars in it. According to my tip, that's approximately how much money went missing."

"Ok, I'll get right on it, Governor."

The playback stopped as the audio file ended.

Danny looked over at Steve. "You ready for the next one?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah."

Danny clicked on the next file, dated December 31, 2010.

This time, it was Laura who spoke first.

"I've located the account where the money went missing," she said.

"Excellent!" the Governor replied, clearly delighted. "Where?"

"The secondary asset forfeiture locker at HPD," Laura replied.

Steve and Danny glanced at each other quickly. When they committed the theft, they didn't think anyone would go count the money in the locker, at least not for years. Then again, they also didn't know the Governor was corrupt.

Steve looked down and brought his hand up to his face, covering his mouth as he continued to listen, intently.

"And you're sure? You counted all the money?" the Governor asked.

"Yes," Laura said. "The money was bundled by $100 bills, and each bundle was worth $10,000. There were 120 bundles missing, totaling exactly $1.2 million."

"Did you mention anything to the police?" the Governor pried, while at the same time managing to sound unconcerned.

"No. I just told them I was doing a random check for the year-end books. They let me in and I counted it. I never told them any of it was missing."

"Good," the Governor replied, relief evident in her voice. "Nice work, Laura."

"Thank you, Governor."

"Although…" the Governor continued, slowly, as if she was thinking out loud, "you just brought up an issue I hadn't thought of before."

_Sure she did_, Danny thought. He had a feeling the Governor was finally getting to the point.

"Today is the last day of the year. Our year-end fund balances will be published for review. I really don't want this news of this to get out. Ten million dollars is a lot of money; it would raise quite a few eyebrows and generate a lot of negative publicity. I'd rather be able to handle this, personally, in-house. We can investigate who took the money ourselves and then deal with the responsible parties appropriately."

There was silence on the tape as Laura did not say a word.

_Her conscience is bugging her again_, Danny thought.

Laura finally spoke. "What would you like for me to do?"

"Take $10.2 million out of my slush fund account and place it in the asset forfeiture locker. That way, if anyone checks, it will all be there."

"But won't the accounting department notice that the money has gone missing from the slush fund?" Laura questioned.

"No, not if you change the records," the Governor replied. "And then once we know who took the money, we will retrieve it and place it back into the account. All the money will be there, and this office and the police department will avoid the embarrassment of the theft."

_Nicely played,_ Danny thought. _ Promising the money will come back and implying Laura would be sparing her boss and the HPD the disgrace of allowing it to be stolen in the first place._

There was another pause before Laura spoke again. "Ok," she said, hesitancy creeping back into her voice.

"Thank you, Laura. Now, on to more pleasant things," the Governor said, congenially, changing the subject to distract her, "do you have any plans for the evening? It is New Year's Eve, after all."

The tape ended.

_Correction,_ Danny thought, _the_ _Governor was a slimy, lying, witchy, two-faced, evil piece of work,_ _even back then._

Although, Danny knew he shouldn't have been surprised. The Governor had been corrupt for a very long time, before he even set foot in Hawaii, and maybe even from the very beginning. Still, hearing her lie so easily to the woman that she would ultimately order killed in front of her very eyes was disturbing.

He looked over at Steve and could tell from the disgusted look on his face that he was thinking the exact same thing.

Steve sighed. "Let's listen to the last one," he said, gesturing towards the computer.

Danny clicked on the last, and longest, file, dated February 16, 2011.

"This is Laura Hills," the recording began. "I am making this recording to tell what I have recently discovered about Governor Jameson."

Steve and Danny quickly looked at each other. _Bingo…_

"Back in December, the Governor asked me to locate ten million dollars that had gone missing. I found out it had been taken from one of the HPD's asset forfeiture lockers. She asked me to put it back and cover it up and, I am sorry to say, that I did as she asked. I realize acknowledging this will be considered an admission of guilt and that I could face jail time for my actions. But what I found out as a result is too important to ignore."

_Poor Laura…_ Steve thought. _She was trying to make amends and do the right thing. She deserved better than she got._

"After Governor Jameson asked me to cover up the theft, I became concerned that there might be more going on than I realized. I decided the easiest, and most reliable, way to get to the truth was to listen to the recordings the Governor makes of all of her conversations."

Steve was surprised; he never knew the Governor taped their discussions. One look at Danny told him that Danny hadn't known either.

Laura's voice continued playing. "The Governor keeps the recordings stored on a flash drive, locked away in a bureau in her office. One day, while she was at lunch, I broke into her bureau using her key. I made a copy of the flash drive and placed it back. While I was doing this, I noticed some unusual items that I had never seen before. I took a picture of them, for my reference, and locked the bureau before the Governor returned."

"The Champ box items," Steve mouthed to Danny, who nodded.

"When I got home that night, I began listening to the tapes. It took me several weeks to go through them all; however, I became aware, very quickly, that Governor Jameson was involved with organized crime. I learned that she planned and ordered the kidnapping and murder of 5-0 Task Force member Chin Ho Kelly. I also learned that she ordered the destruction of the ransom money intended to save Inspector Kelly's life. I believe the ransom money is the same ten million dollars that went missing from the asset forfeiture locker."

Steve and Danny exchanged quick, serious glances again. _Laura had put two and two together… she knew why the money was missing and that they had taken it… and that Steve was in possession of it when he met Hesse… but had she told anyone? _

"I also found out that the unusual items in the bureau had been stolen from Lt. Commander Steve McGarrett, who runs the 5-0 Task Force. I do not know the significance of these items, but I know if the Governor had them hidden, they must be important, and might even be related to a crime. Therefore, I am going to return them to Commander McGarrett, one at a time, hoping the Governor will not notice. I will begin delivering the items as quickly as possible."

_And she did,_ Steve thought. The first package arrived approximately a week after Laura recorded this message.

"I have placed copies of the recordings dealing with the Governor's most egregious crimes, specifically the kidnapping and attempted murder of Inspector Kelly and the misappropriation of ten million dollars, on a flash drive, where I will also leave this recording. I have also made copies the related bank confirmations and statements as well as the doctored ledger sheets."

_So that's what those papers are…_ Steve realized.

"I do not feel safe keeping this information at my house. Therefore, I will put it all in a locker and send the key to Commander McGarrett. My hope in doing this is that Governor Jameson will be brought to justice. And that, in the unfortunate event that something happens to me, the evidence will be safe."

And with that, the recording ended.

Steve stood up and began pacing again, his left hand rubbing the lower half of his face, careful to avoid the stitches in his right jaw.

Danny just sat on the couch and watched him, giving him the time he needed to think through things.

Finally, Steve spoke. "There's no telling how many crimes the Governor recorded on those tapes. And if we didn't know she was making them, I'll bet money that Wo Fat didn't either." Steve stopped pacing and turned to face Danny. "She may have recorded their discussion about Laura's murder. She may have even recorded her own murder. And with those as evidence, we could nail Wo Fat for both counts. We need to tell HPD about the tapes."

Danny sat silently for a moment, listening. Then he nodded and said, earnestly, "I agree. But you do realize if we take this to the HPD, or even just tell them about the Governor's tapes and let them find them on their own, they'll hear everything we just heard. They'll have all the evidence they need to lock us up for stealing the ten mil."

Steve sighed and nodded, resigned. "Yeah, I know."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Well, first I think we need to talk to Kono and Kaye and see if the financial records they're looking at jive with what Laura said."

"And if they do?" Danny questioned.

"We send Kaye home so she won't be implicated or possibly subpoenaed. Then, we'll call Chin and get him over here. We'll play the tapes again for everyone and then we'll decide what we're going to do. Together."

_To be continued…_

*****************************************H50***************************************


	18. Chapter 18

Author's note: I have another nice, extra-long chapter for you today. Enjoy! :D

Chapter 18

***************************************H50****************************************

Chin wasted no time riding over to Steve's house.

Once he received the call, he told Duke he was going to take a long lunch and practically ran out of the HPD headquarters. He expertly weaved his motorcycle in and out of the traffic and pulled into Steve's driveway less than 15 minutes later.

He climbed the porch stairs, two at a time, and burst into the house. Steve, Danny, and Kono were all sitting and waiting for him in the living room, wearing somber expressions that were one notch better than if they were attending a funeral.

"What is it?" Chin asked. Steve had not told him much when he had called, just that they needed to talk immediately. Whatever it was, Chin knew it had to be bad if Steve wasn't willing to tell him over the phone or wait for him to come over during his normal lunchtime.

An hour later, Chin was caught-up. All the audio files had been played and the documents reviewed. Chin's expression was neutral as he sat on a chair and looked at the floor, processing the information.

"What are you thinking?" Steve asked, gently. He knew hearing the details of your own kidnapping and murder being planned and discussed so callously had to be unnerving; although, with Chin's calm demeanor, it was hard to tell.

Chin looked up at Steve, who was sitting on the sofa, and raised his eyebrows. "I'm thinking I'm really glad I didn't go to the Governor's funeral," he deadpanned.

The side of Steve's mouth curled up into a hint of lop-sided grin. "Yeah, me, too," he replied, relieved that Chin didn't blame him and, more importantly, that Chin would be fine.

"So, where do we go from here?" Chin asked.

"That's what we need to decide," Steve answered, with a bob of his head. "Charlie is going to deliver the rest of the tape of my conversation with the Governor to HPD in a few hours. Once they listen to it, they'll know I took the money. And they will suspect all of you did, too," he added, and glanced at all of them.

Steve turned and looked seriously at Kono, who was sitting next to him on the sofa. "Kono," he said, "they have you standing outside the manhole we used to break into the locker. Hardly convicting evidence, but when you add that to my admission on tape, they will arrest you as well."

Kono wrapped her arms around herself and nodded. "I know." She knew when she first convinced Chin to tell Steve and Danny about the asset forfeiture locker that it was possible she would one day go to prison for stealing the money. But it had been worth it; Chin was still alive. And she would do it again, without hesitation.

"Ok," Steve nodded. "So, it's fairly certain that Kono and I are going down."

Steve turned and looked at Chin. "Chin, if your uncle mentioned the blueprints when he confessed to taking the 200 grand, HPD will probably figure out you had access to them. They will, most likely, arrest you as well."

"Agreed," Chin nodded. He had expected as much.

"So, that just leaves Danny," Steve said, looking at his partner, sitting directly across from him on a chair. "I doubt they have anything concrete on you, even though you helped plan the break-in. And you have a perfect alibi; you were with Chin, surrounded by HPD officers, when the theft occurred. So, if we all keep out mouths shut, there's a chance you might not get charged."

Danny looked taken aback. He sat up straight in his chair and raised his eyebrows, incredulously. "And what makes you think _I'd_ keep my mouth shut?" he questioned.

"You can use plausible deniability, Danny," Steve reasoned, leaning forward, almost pleading. "You've got Grace to think about. You've said before that you can't raise a child from inside a prison."

"And I also can't raise a child that I can't look in the eye!" Danny retorted. He jumped up out of his seat and began pacing the floor and gestured wildly, clearly irritated. "And that's exactly what will happen if I stand by and say _nothing _while all of you go down for a crime that I helped commit!"

"Danny…" Steve started, but he was cut off by Danny, who had stopped pacing and was now staring directly at Steve.

"Steven, we are not debating this!" he said, emphatically. "I am not letting you guys take the fall without me! That's it! End of discussion!"

Steve closed his eyes and rubbed the side of his face, frustrated. He respected and appreciated Danny's loyalty; it was one of the traits that made him a great partner and an even greater friend. But Danny was just as stubborn as he was loyal and Steve could recognize a lost cause when he saw one. He knew he would not be able to talk Danny out of his position. After a minute, he sighed, looked up at Danny, and nodded. "Ok."

"Ok," Danny confirmed solidly, with a nod. He sat back down in his chair, appeased.

"So," Steve began again, looking at his watch, "in approximately six hours, HPD will have what they need to charge us with first degree theft. The cases will go to trial and with regards to the three of you, there may be some wiggle room for reasonable doubt. So, it is possible you might be acquitted."

He paused and looked at each Danny, Chin, and Kono, who nodded his or her agreement in turn. It was indeed possible they might get off. Unfortunately, since Steve had confessed to the crime, it would take a miracle for him to avoid a conviction.

"Ok," Steve continued. "That brings us to the tapes and evidence we got today. We know that the Governor ordered Hesse to kidnap and murder Chin. And Hesse is already in prison for those crimes." He unconsciously clenched and unclenched his left hand into a fist several times when he mentioned Hesse's name, a fact that was not lost on any of the other members of 5-0.

_Yeah, I'd like to punch him, too, partner, _Danny thought.

Steve, however, was oblivious to both Danny's thoughts and the actions of his own hand and continued talking.

"We also know Governor Jameson conspired with Wo Fat to have Laura Hills murdered and we know that Wo Fat murdered the Governor. And, right now, the only way we can prove the Governor was corrupt and that Wo Fat was behind the murders is to hand over the evidence we got today and tell HPD about the tapes the Governor made of her conversations."

Steve waited for a moment, making sure everyone was in agreement, before continuing.

"Alright," he nodded. "If we hand over the audio files, we will also be handing over a motive for stealing the money and additional evidence that the prosecutor will use to convict us. We'll effectively be handing them the nails to use in our proverbial coffins."

Steve paused for a minute, and exhaled, not relishing what had to be said next.

"So, as I see it, we have two choices. One, we keep quiet and keep the evidence to ourselves and try to nail Wo Fat for the murders another way. Or, two, we hand everything over and take our chances, knowing we will most likely end up in prison. But, Wo Fat will also be charged with two murders at the very least. The question is- what do we do?"

It was quiet for a minute as everyone thought, taking in the scope of the decision that needed to be made.

They had all sworn an oath to serve the public good and faithfully uphold the law. And, at times, they had each used their position and violated that very oath to help a member of their family. They could ignore the oath again to help the family represented in Steve's living room, and no one would be the wiser. But if they did, a killer would walk free. And not just any killer, but Wo Fat.

"Ok," Danny spoke up, finally, "I'll go first. I say we give them the tapes and let the chips fall where they may."

Chin slowly nodded. "I agree."

"Me, too," Kono piped in.

Steve nodded, looking each one of them in the eye, grateful to be serving with such fine individuals.

"Then, it's unanimous. We'll go to HPD tomorrow morning and hand everything over. That will give us a few hours to get our affairs in order this afternoon. And then tonight, you're all invited back here for steaks and beer."

And then he added, with a bittersweet smile, "we might as well celebrate our last night together."

**H50**

The mood had lightened considerably as they all regrouped on Steve's lanai at 7:00 p.m., each of them reasoning that being sad would do them no good and would just ruin a perfectly good evening.

"So, you can grill left-handed, too," Danny smirked, holding a beer as he watched Steve man the barbeque. "Do you have any other mad skills I need to know about?"

"Such as?" Steve asked, smiling as he turned over a steak.

"Oh, I don't know," Danny said, shrugging. "Maybe you can sword fight left-handed. That would be very Inigo Montoya of you."

"You do realize if I'm Inigo, then that makes you Vizzini?" Steve smirked.

"Inconceivable." Danny said, grinning. "Besides, I'd rather be Westley. He had better hair. And he got the girl."

Steve laughed. "You mean he had _your_ hair. And speaking of girls, I thought you'd bring Grace with you tonight. Where is she?"

Danny wrinkled up his nose and scratched for a moment, looking over at Chin and Kono, who were lounging in the worn, wooden chairs on the beach. He still hadn't told Steve, or anyone, for that matter, that she was back in New Jersey. Or that Rachel was pregnant. And while he didn't want to potentially kill the mood, he also didn't know if and when he'd get another chance to talk to Steve about it.

Steve noticed his hesitation and turned to face Danny, putting down the grill tongs. "Spill. What is it?"

Danny moved from scratching his nose to scratching the back of his neck. "Grace is in New Jersey, with Rachel. She left Stan and is, uh," Danny paused and grinned, "pregnant. With my baby."

Steve stared at Danny for a minute, dumbfounded, before he recovered. "That's great, man!" he laughed, and then gave Danny a one-armed hug. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, I was going to tell you the night I came over with the beer but you ninja-jumped me. And things got kind of hectic from there, so it never really came up."

Steve nodded, with understanding; hectic was an understatement. "So why are they in New Jersey? Is Rachel telling your family?"

Danny took a sip of beer before replying, "something like that," not wanting to get into the details.

However, Steve noticed the change in Danny's tone and his face dropped as he quickly figured it out. "If you don't go to prison, are you going to move back there?" he asked, surprised.

"I don't know." Danny shrugged and squinted out at the ocean for a moment. "Maybe. Maybe not. We'll have to see how it goes."

"Danny, Grace needs you," Steve reasoned, lowering his head a bit to look Danny in the face. "You made the right decision to come out here and be with her. And if she's going to be in New Jersey, then you need to be there, too; for her and for the baby."

Steve sighed and glanced away quickly before returning his gaze to Danny and continuing. "Look, I know you want to go with us to HPD tomorrow and all, but you've got to reconsider. You're going to have two kids now; kids who need their dad in their lives and not behind bars."

Danny took another sip of beer and squinted at Steve. "I know." He gave another shrug. "But I meant what I said earlier. I can't raise a child that I can't look in the eye. So, I'm going with all of you tomorrow. And if that means I go to prison, well, then, I go to prison. And if I don't, then I'll worry about where I'm going to live."

Steve knew Danny's mind was made up and pushing him would go nowhere. So, after a moment, he simply nodded. "Fair enough."

Steve turned his attention back to the steaks. "These are about done. Mind getting the plates for me? They're in the kitchen."

"No problem," Danny replied, heading inside.

"Oh, and can you get me a beer while you're in there?" Steve called after him.

Danny stopped and turned around. "You think that's a good idea?" he asked. "I know you haven't taken any painkillers today, but they'd still probably be in your system from the hospital."

Steve grinned. "Seriously, Danny? I haven't taken anything stronger than Advil in days."

"Of course you haven't," Danny muttered, rolling his eyes. "What was I thinking?"

Steve chuckled and turned the steaks over one last time.

**H50**

Three hours later, they were all still sitting at the table, talking and laughing, their steaks and salads long since eaten.

"And remember Johnny D?" Kono asked, laughing.

Steve laughed, holding his tender ribs. "How could I forget Johnny D and his garage of stolen wonders? It was all I could do to not burst out laughing when I realized he thought the Space Needle was the Eiffel Tower."

"And, if I remember correctly, which I do," Danny added, laughing, "Kono sent him a very _interesting_ text message."

"Oh really?" Chin asked, smiling, as he leaned back in his chair, looking at his cousin. "Do tell."

"No way," Kono laughed, waving and crossing her arms in front of her. "That's classified information. And I thought I swore you to secrecy, Danny!"

Danny laughed, pointing at her. "I thought that secrecy flew right out the window when Johnny D defended himself in court, saying you entrapped him with a racy text. I had no idea Chin never heard about it."

"So, it's in the court records, huh?" Chin chuckled. "I might need to check that out and see what my sweet and innocent little cuz wrote."

In all the laughter and commotion, it took Danny a moment to realize Steve was no longer laughing. In fact, he looked a bit stricken.

"Steve, you ok?" Danny asked, afraid that his partner might be in pain or worse, that something was seriously wrong. He silently cursed himself for giving Steve the beer.

Chin and Kono noticed, too, and immediately stopped laughing as they looked at their boss with concern.

"Steve, what is it?" Danny asked, again.

"That's it," Steve said quietly and then he turned and looked at Danny.

"What's it?" Danny asked, confused.

"Entrapment," Steve said, the daze wearing off and his voice growing stronger. "The Governor. She entrapped us." He looked at Danny, then Chin, and finally Kono, watching as the realization dawned on each of their faces.

"She planned the kidnapping…" Danny said, slowly thinking out loud, "and set an impossible ransom."

"Which she denied giving to us," Kono said, picking up where Danny left off, "knowing that we would have to get it some other way."

"And we never would have taken the money if she hadn't done that," Chin added. "I had those blueprints for years and never acted on them. We only stole the money because she forced us into it."

They all stared at each other in silence for a moment, hoping to believe that their rationale might actually work.

Kono finally gave voice to the question they all were thinking. "Do you think the prosecutor's office will actually buy it?"

"They have to," Steve said, slowly nodding his head. "It's all we've got."

_To be continued…_

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	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

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Steve knew that everyone reacts differently when they are under pressure. He had seen it on the football field, been taught it at Annapolis, and experienced it in combat. It's as if the simple act of being in the fire distills a person down to their core qualities. All the extraneous personality attributes, and quirks, are burned away and what is left is the essence of a human being.

That theory was certainly holding true today.

After they hit upon the entrapment angle the night before, they realized that for it to work, they would have to lay all their cards out on the table. Simply handing over the tapes and paperwork would not be enough. They had to confess. To all of it.

Steve watched Danny, Chin, and Kono as they stood, waiting in the reception area of Police Chief Mahaka's office. They had been waiting almost twenty minutes; long enough for the heat under them, which had been at a simmer, to be turned up to a slow boil.

Danny was rocking back and forth on his feet, hands in his pockets, unable to keep still. He chewed on his lower lip while he looked straight ahead, lost in deep thought. Kono shifted her weight slightly every few minutes, looking a bit worried, but also determined. Chin stood almost motionless, his face neutral and calm, as always, with his arms folded over his chest. And Steve, for his part, stood absolutely still, with one hand holding Laura's manila folder, the other still in the splint and sling. His face betrayed no emotion other than a clenched jaw.

How their physical appearance might appear to an outsider, whether neutral or nervous,Steve did not care. He knew all he needed to know about his team. Regardless of the consequences, they were all here, willingly. They were going to stand by each other and get through this. Together. "All for one and one for all" might be trite, but it was also true.

Finally the intercom on the assistant's desk buzzed. "Please send them in, Karen," Chief Mahaka said through the crackly connection. The assistant stood up and opened the chief's door for them, allowing the team to pass, and then closed the door silently behind them.

Chief Mahaka looked up from his desk. He did not look happy. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the four chairs that had been pulled over from a conference table and were set in front of his desk. They each complied and waited for the chief to start.

"I'm assuming you requested this meeting to discuss this," the chief said, holding up a transcript of the entire taped conversation between Steve and Governor Jameson.

"Yes, sir," Steve replied, courteously, with a nod.

"And you are here, voluntarily, and know your rights, even though you are not under arrest, correct?" the chief asked.

"Yes, sir."

Chief Mahaka nodded, curtly, and placed the papers on his desk. "Then don't say another word." He buzzed his assistant on the intercom and ordered, "Karen, get a prosecutor over here right now. I don't care who, just whoever can get over here the quickest."

They sat in silence for fifteen minutes, waiting for a prosecutor to arrive, the chief alternately looking down at the transcript and then glaring at the team, particularly Steve. At one point, Danny began bouncing his leg up and down, but stopped when Kono shot him a look.

_Wonder what that's all about?_ Steve wondered, slightly amused, in spite of the serious circumstances.

Finally, the chief's office door opened and Prosecutor Kathleen Roberts entered, slightly out of breath. "I just finished up in court and they told me you needed someone ASAP," she said. She looked at the chief and the team, evidently noticing the frosty mood. "What's this all about?" she asked.

The chief gestured to the chair that Steve had just pulled over, one-handed, from the conference table in the corner of the office. "Have a seat. You're going to need it."

Prosecutor Roberts nodded a quick "thanks" to Steve and then took her seat.

The chief stood up and started a video recorder that was standing beside his desk on a tripod. He then returned and took his chair again before he cleared his voice and spoke.

"I need each of you to say your name and position for the record." After they each complied, he spoke again. "I also need each of you to state that you are here of your own volition, that you understand your rights, and have chosen not to have an attorney present." Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono each replied in the affirmative.

"Ok," the chief nodded. "Let's get down to business. This transcript," he said, waving the papers in the air, "which was made of a recording of a conversation between Governor Jameson and Commander McGarrett on the night of the Governor's murder and was obtained from Commander McGarrett's phone, had lead to quite a few revelations. It appears Governor Jameson was allegedly corrupt, and potentially a murderer as well. And, that among her potential crimes, she covered up a theft from the HPD asset forfeiture locker by replacing the money." Chief Mahaka looked pointedly at Steve. "Money, which according to this tape, you apparently stole, Commander McGarrett. And most likely with help," he added, staring at Kono.

The chief paused for a moment, his countenance making it clear he was not offering an invitation for rebuttal, before continuing. "HPD began investigating these allegations this morning, as soon as we received the tape and read the transcript from the crime lab. So, rest assured, we will uncover the truth. And I want to make it perfectly clear that if, as a result of the investigations, any, and I mean _any_ of you," he emphasized, looking at Chin, "were involved, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir. We understand," Steve replied, with a brief nod. "Now, if you will permit me, I'd like to show you some evidence that will help shed some light on the situation," Steve said, and handed over the manila envelope, which contained the flash drive and documents inside.

An hour later, Chief Mahaka and Prosecutor Roberts knew the whole story. They heard the tapes, reviewed the documents, and listened as Steve laid out their case. He recounted the events leading up to Chin's kidnapping all the way through the previous night. He presented the evidence, piece by piece, showing how each one supported what actually happened. Both the chief and Ms. Roberts asked pertinent questions of each member of the team and carefully listened to their responses.

It was hard to gauge Ms. Roberts' reaction, but the chief was much easier to read. He looked unhappy earlier, but now he looked royally hacked off.

The chief stood up and turned off the video recorder. "Wait outside," he barked at the team, pointing to the door. "And I mean right outside. If you so much as step a foot out of the reception area, I will throw you in the lock-up and you can wait there. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," they each murmured before heading outside the door.

Chief Mahaka watched as Chin exited last and shut the door. Then he let out a deep sigh and looked at the prosecutor. "So, where do we go from here?" he asked.

Prosecutor Roberts sighed as well. She had always been in 5-0's corner, even before she had lost a hearing and Wo Fat had walked out of Judge Hamilton's courtroom a free man just months earlier. To find out what they had been doing with the "full immunity and means" the Governor had given them was a bit disturbing; although, she could understand why they had stolen the ten million dollars. And, honestly, she was touched by the extent to which their loyalty and love for each other reached. But that still didn't excuse the fact that they committed a crime.

"Well," she started, "the burden of proof for entrapment is pretty steep. I'll have to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendants were _not_ entrapped by a government official. And, as it looks right now, if it had not been for the acts of Governor Jameson, there is reasonable doubt they would have stolen the money. If they wanted to take it, they could have done so much earlier; they had the blueprints. They simply didn't have a motive. It looks to me like Jameson backed them into a corner by orchestrating the kidnapping and demanding a ransom. So, even if I did go ahead and prosecute, odds are very good that they will walk. I don't know about you, but I'd rather spare the taxpayers the money and just not even start the process."

Chief Mahaka sighed again. That was exactly what he was expecting Prosecutor Roberts to say. And, although he was still exceedingly angry with 5-0, and Lieutenant Kelly in particular, he was also glad to have all the new evidence on the Governor, and on her secret stash of tapes. With the new information, there was no telling how many crimes they would be able to solve, including some they probably did not even know about yet. Not to mention, McGarrett's eyewitness testimony was all they had on Wo Fat at the moment, and catching him for the Governor's and Laura Hills' murders was HPD's top priority. Did he really want to drag McGarrett and the 5-0 team through the mud when, ultimately, nothing would become of it?

"Ok," he said, his mind made up. "Thank you for your time. Would you please ask Commander McGarrett and his team to come back in on your way out?"

"Sure," Ms. Roberts replied. She gathered her things and left the office. Once in the reception area, she paused and glanced at the team, who were all standing together in a corner of the room.

Steve looked up and noticed her hesitation. He raised his eyebrows, his facial expression seeming to ask, "and?"

Prosecutor Roberts shot him a thin smile. "The chief would like to see you all again," she said. Then she hurriedly walked out of the room, apparently back on her way to court. _Or maybe she was just in a hurry to get out of the chief's office, _Steve thought.

Steve sighed. He really couldn't decipher what her smile meant. It could have meant "it'll be ok," or "good luck in there," or even "sorry, you are all going down." The only way to find out was to go back into the chief's office. So, he led the way back inside, with Danny, Chin, and Kono following and closing the door behind him.

"Don't even bother to sit down," the chief said, more calmly, but still very angry. "You won't be here that long."

The team exchanged quick glances. _This is it…_ Steve thought.

Chief Mahaka exhaled heavily and glared up at them from his desk and then began to speak.

"To say I am appalled and disappointed in the actions of the 5-0 task force is an understatement." His gaze rested on Steve as he continued, bitterly. "You were created to be the most elite crime-fighting unit in Hawaii. And yet you have not only blatantly disregarded the law when it suited your own purposes, but you actively committed a crime; a crime against _the HPD,_ who has been your closest ally. And as the chief of the HPD, I find it repugnant that you would pretend to be our partners while you, yourself, robbed us blind. You may think the ends alway justify the means, Commander McGarrett, but I do not agree. There could have been another way to save Lieutenant Kelly's life."

The chief paused a moment, glaring, for his censure to sink it before he continued.

"However, Prosecutor Roberts does not think she would able to get a conviction for stealing the ten million from the forfeiture locker. Not because you are not guilty, which you clearly are, but because the actions of the Governor does lend credibility to the entrapment theory. There would be reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury, and quite frankly, there is no point in proceeding if even the prosecutor does not think you would be convicted."

A wave of relief washed over Steve, as well as Danny, Chin, and Kono, as they heard the chief's words.

_We did it, _Steve marveled. _We actually did it. _

However, he did not have time to revel in the moment as the chief resumed speaking.

"Just because you would not be convicted does not mean you are innocent, or that you displayed sound judgment." He looked pointedly at Chin. "And I am particularly disappointed in you, Lieutenant Kelly. I brought you back to the force, with a promotion, to make restitution for the fact that you had been wrongfully dismissed for allegedly stealing 200 grand. And you accepted the position, knowing all the time that you had actually stolen ten million instead."

Chief Mahaka was seething at this point, and he stood up, his eyes boring holes into Chin. "Can you give me a reason, any reason at all, why I should not fire you right here and now?" he asked.

Before Chin could answer, Steve stepped in. "I can," he answered.

The chief turned his head and glared at Steve. "And what reason can _you_ give me, Commander McGarrett?" he asked, irritably.

Chin, Danny, and Kono looked at Steve, also interested to hear his answer.

"If you leave Chin on the force, and allow him to work with us, I can give you something you really want," Steve replied, resolutely.

"And what's that?" Chief Mahaka asked, his eyes narrowing.

Steve returned the chief's stare, determination burning in his eyes.

Then he answered, "Wo Fat."

_To be continued…_

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	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

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"Ok, so where do we start?" Danny asked, as they all assembled around the coffee table in Steve's living room.

After the Police Chief had dismissed them from his office, the team grabbed a quick, celebratory lunch at Side Street. They invited Kaye, as well, and filled her in on the details of what had transpired over the past day. After paying the bill, they adjourned and reconvened at Steve's house to begin working out a plan on how to take down Wo Fat.

If their individual desires were not enough to motivate them, particularly for Steve and Jenna, Chin's job was also at stake. While Chief Mahaka agreed to let Chin work with 5-0, undoubtedly because he was so mad he really did not want to see Chin's face at the HPD headquarters, he had also made it clear that if Wo Fat was not caught, and soon, Chin's job would be eliminated.

Catching Wo Fat had become not only their only chance at saving Chin's job, but also of hopefully, somehow, getting 5-0 reinstated by the new Governor and remaining together.

The Chief was mad enough that he would probably never hire Danny or Kono back to the HPD. And without the recommendation of Chief Mahaka, it was unlikely that Danny would be able to get a detective position, or even a beat cop job, back in New Jersey. If the team failed in their quest to find Wo-Fat, Chin, Kono, and Danny would all be looking for rent-a-cop jobs.

Jenna had all but burned her bridges with the CIA and probably no longer had a job waiting for her there. She would have to try and find something in the private sector.

And Steve's future with the Navy was precarious at best. He had been so busy trying to clear his team and himself of all the charges that he had not been able to talk to the Navy about his impending dismissal. He hoped that since he was not being arrested for the theft and the murder charges had been dropped, that the Navy would also drop the dismissal proceedings. But, like many bureaucracies, the military did not turn on a dime. If he wanted to save his position, he would need to take the time to stay on top of things. Time which, at the moment, he did not have.

"Let's start by going over the tapes again," Steve replied. He handed a flash drive to Chin, which held on it the recording from that night at the Governor's mansion, courtesy of Charlie Fong, as well as copies of Laura's tapes.

Chin inserted it into the laptop on Steve's coffee table and navigated to the correct screen. "Might as well start at the beginning," he said, and clicked on the recording from the Governor's mansion.

It was not the first time Steve had heard the tape, but it still bothered him that he had become so emotional that night. And, although under the circumstances, it was perfectly understandable, he still prided himself on being professional in all situations. Therefore, listening to himself in that state was uncomfortable to say the least, especially in front of his team. He knew they did not think any less of him for how he acted that night, but he still mentally chastised himself for losing control and vowed to never let it happen again.

Steve realized his mind was wandering and forced himself to stop thinking about his demeanor and instead to focus on the tape as it continued to play.

"Trust me. That is not what you want," the Governor said, menacingly. Then the phone rang on the tape.

"Stop it right there," Danny said, standing up from his chair and pointing to the computer. Chin complied by clicking on the "pause" button.

"We wondered about this the first time we heard it," Danny said, looking at Chin, who nodded in agreement. Danny turned and looked at Steve, sitting next to Chin on the sofa. "Who was calling on the phone?" he asked.

"I don't know," Steve answered with a shrug. "I told the Governor not to pick it up. I just assumed that it was HPD, calling to check up on her. I thought maybe someone had found one of the guards outside and called the police."

"It wasn't us," Chin said shaking his head.

Steve furrowed his eyebrows, and tilted his head, confused. "Then how did you know to come to the mansion?" he asked.

"Simple," Chin replied. "The mansion had several checkpoints set up around its perimeter. Each time one of the guards passes by a checkpoint, he shines a laser on it, which registers a hit. If three check-ins are missed within a certain timeframe, HPD is automatically notified. And since you had taken out all of the outside guards, it was only going to be a matter of minutes before the check-ins were missed and we were notified."

"Ok," Danny said, nodding as he thought out loud, "if it wasn't HPD calling, then who was it?"

"No idea," Steve said, with a shake of his head. "It could have been anyone. Chin," he asked, looking at the HPD Lieutenant, "can you call and get the phone records so we can trace the number that called in?"

Chin nodded and took his cell phone out of the back pocket of his pants. "On it," he replied and stepped out of the room to make the call. He returned a moment later. "Ok, the Governor's mansion keeps call histories. They are pulling them for us for that day and will email them over. We should have them within the hour."

"Good," Steve nodded and then gestured to the computer. "Then, let's keep listening to the tapes. There might be something else that we missed."

Not quite an hour later, all of the tapes had been reviewed, multiple times, in painstaking detail. And, unfortunately, the team discovered nothing else to help the investigation.

"There'd better be something in the Governor's call history," Danny grumbled as he paced the floor, frustrated.

As if on cue, Chin's cell phone buzzed. He pulled it out and looked at it, reading the incoming text message. "Looks like we're about to find out," he said, as he sat back down in front of the computer and pulled up an email with the call log attached. He took the laptop over to Steve's printer and quickly printed off five copies of the log and handed them out to everyone.

"Alright," Danny said, looking at the call log, "she didn't get many calls on her personal line, so it should be pretty easy to pick out the right one. Steve, what time did you arrive?"

Steve thought about it for a moment, trying to remember the specifics. "I got there around 9:15 p.m. and watched the guards for a few minutes. Then, I took them out and was inside about five minutes later. I swept the lower level of the mansion before going into the Governor's office. So, my guess is I entered her office somewhere between 9:30 p.m. and 9:35 p.m."

"And we have a phone call at exactly 9:36 p.m.," Danny said, holding up the call log and turning towards Steve. "This has to be the call that came in while you were in the office."

Steve nodded. "Sounds about right. It rang not too long after I came in. So, now we know the number, we can find out who owned the phone."

"Already checking," Kono replied, sitting in a chair as she worked on her own laptop. "The phone has a 221 prefix, which belongs to AT&T Wireless. Looks like the call came from a cell phone."

"And not a throw away one," Chin added. "Whoever owns this phone has a contract, which means they also have a name."

"Looks like we need to go talk to AT&T," Danny said, picking up the Camaro keys and looking in Chin's direction. "Chin, you with me?"

"Sure thing," Chin replied as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"I'll go, too," Steve interjected, also rising from the sofa.

"We've got this one, Steve," Danny told him. "All we're going to do is get a warrant and go get some paperwork from AT&T. And since Chin's the only one with a badge, he needs to come with me so it's nice and legal. Why don't you stay here and help Kono and Kaye?"

Everything Danny said was true, but he did not say what he was really thinking. The truth of the matter was Steve looked just slightly better than death warmed over. His body was still healing, and if he wasn't so stubborn, he still would have been in the hospital. Danny noticed that while the fight was still in Steve, he sat a lot more than normal and moved far more slowly. And although the past two days had not been very taxing physically, they had been emotionally draining, even for someone who was in good health. His partner could stand to sit this one out and rest. And if Steve couldn't bring himself to make that call, Danny would make it for him.

Steve seemed to consider what Danny said, making Danny all that more certain that Steve staying put was the right decision.

Finally, he agreed. "Ok. Call me if you need me."

**H50**

After Danny and Chin left, Steve excused himself for a minute and went upstairs.

He had read between the lines of what Danny said downstairs; that he wasn't fully recovered yet and he was going to have to pace himself. And as much as Steve hated to admit it, he knew Danny was right. He had been riding an adrenaline wave ever since he signed himself out of the hospital, trying to absolve them all of stealing the ten million dollars. And now that they were in the clear, that wave was crashing, leaving him exhausted and aching. If he didn't get some rest, it would only get worse.

_And instead of being an asset, I'll become a liability. _

Steve knew Danny and the team would never think that, but he would, and that's all that mattered. For a man who prided himself on his independence and ability to handle any situation, both physically and mentally, the idea of being a burden to his team was intolerable. He would do anything and everything possible to avoid that scenario, even if that meant staying behind now and letting Danny and Chin go off without him.

_Well, just because my body is resting, that doesn't mean my mind has to, _Steve thought. He splashed some water on his face and dry-swallowed a few more Advil before going back downstairs to work with Kono and Jenna.

Two hours later, Danny and Chin returned.

"Ok, here is what we have," Danny said as he burst back into Steve's living room, without knocking. "The phone is registered to a company called Aloha Enterprises."

"That's original," Jenna said, rolling her eyes.

"And generic," Kono added, already Googling the name. "There must be a dozen companies with a name similar to that."

"Which is why it's good we also got an address and a bank account number," Danny said.

"Nice," Steve said, nodding. "I'm sure the address is probably fake, but the bank account wouldn't be, not if they want to pay their bills electronically."

"Which, they do," Chin said, nodding. "I've already called to get a warrant for the bank, specifically asking for all the information they have about the account holder, anyone who does business with the account holder, and any transactions in or out of the account for the past two years. But we probably won't have the warrant in time to get over to the bank before it closes."

Steve looked at his watch and sighed. Chin was right. It was already 4:25 p.m. Even if they had the warrant in hand, getting to the bank in time would be almost impossible. They would have to wait until tomorrow.

"But we do have some good news," Chin added, noticing Steve's expression. "Turns out, the number in question belongs to an iPhone."

"Why would that be good news?" Jenna asked.

"Because a few months ago, it became public that iPhones have a tracking mechanism inside of them," Chin replied. "They record a log of the longitude and latitude of your location and add a time stamp to the coordinates."

"So," Steve said, thinking out loud, "if we could get a hold of the correct cell phone, we could look and see where the phone was the night of the Governor's murder. The coordinates and time stamp would give us the exact location of the call."

"Precisely," Chin said with a nod.

"And," Steve continued, "if the phone belongs to Wo Fat, it would place him at the murder scene."

_To be continued…_

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	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

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Since there was nothing they could do before the next morning, the team called it a day and left Steve's house around 5:00 p.m. They were all excited to have their first evening of pure freedom to do something they each wanted to do.

Kono grabbed her surfboard and headed to the beach to catch a few waves. Chin took a nice, long ride on his motorcycle around the island. Jenna found a nice coffee house where she could relax with a book. Danny, who was still concerned about Steve's physical condition but was trying not to be too obvious about it, picked up takeout for both of them. They ate out on the lanai and once Danny was satisfied that Steve would be ok, he headed home to call Rachel and Grace.

And Steve, for his part, finally got to call Catherine. He was amazed at how good it felt to hear her voice; it had been too long. She had been following the news carefully, as much as she could from an aircraft carrier in the middle of nowhere, but had not heard that the murder charges had been dropped. She was relieved but had not heard any more rumors about the Navy dismissing Steve. However, all that meant was that things were being handled quietly. Steve placed calling the Navy JAG office first thing in the morning at the top of his "to-do" list.

They talked a while longer, and it was evident Catherine was still concerned about his physical well-being. Steve blew off all her inquiries, claiming he felt fine. She did not sound overly convinced, but knew better than to push him and let it drop. They made plans to get together next time she was in port and after a few "love yous" and "take cares", Steve hung up the phone and went upstairs to go to bed.

After a long, hot shower to help relieve the stiffness in his sore muscles, he climbed into bed early and fell asleep almost immediately.

For once, he actually slept an hour past his normal 5:00 a.m. wake up time. When he did awake, he felt refreshed after nine hours of sleep and much better than the afternoon before. He climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He debated skipping his normal two first-of-the-morning Advils before deciding he'd better not push his luck and instead quickly swallowed them.

He took another therapeutic, hot shower, then got out and wrapped a towel around himself. He wiped the steam off the mirror and, for the first time since leaving the hospital, took a long look at his injuries.

The bruises on his face were changing colors and were now more yellow-purple than black; they would begin to disappear soon. His face was no longer swollen, making the stitches in his jaw more pronounced. He'd have to remember to stop by the ER in a few days and get them taken out.

The swelling in his right hand and fingers was also going down and they were beginning to look much more normal. He still would not be able to use them for a few more weeks, but he was getting used to doing everything left handed. The bruising on his ribs was also beginning to dissipate and his incision sites were becoming less obvious, their redness now giving way to a deep pink. All in all, Steve thought his body was healing up fairly nicely.

_Hard to believe it's just been six days_. The prison fight seemed more like a lifetime ago, as did his hospital stay; so much had transpired over just the past two days.

He got dressed, put his arm in the sling, and headed downstairs. He rummaged through the fridge and pantry until he rustled up something that resembled breakfast. _Although Danny would probably disagree, _Steve thought with a grin, as he ate his steel cut oats with vanilla soy milk.

After eating, he still had some time before the team arrived so he called the Navy's JAG Corps, grateful for the time zone difference, which meant their office was already open. After being shuffled through a phone tree and being placed on hold a few times, he finally got to someone who knew something about his case.

"Lieutenant Collins," the JAG officer said upon answering his phone.

"Yes, Lieutenant Collins, this is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. I understand you are handling my case."

"Sir, yes sir," Collins replied, respectfully. "I am."

"I just wanted to check on the status of the proceedings," Steve said.

"Sir, you understand I cannot tell you much, due to legal reasons. But I can let you know we are still acting under article 30 of section 830, and trying to determine which charges will be brought against you."

Steve blew out a breath of relief. Evidently, the Navy had not gotten far in the process.

"Thank you for that information," he replied. "I did want to make you aware that the state of Hawaii has dropped the charges against me."

"We did see that on the news, sir. We have contacted the prosecutor's office for verification and documentation and are awaiting their reply. However," Collins continued, "you do realize, that the Navy will conduct our own investigation and that charges could still be brought against you, pending the outcome."

Steve sighed. While this was not the response he was hoping for, he knew Lieutenant Collins was telling the truth. Under law, the Navy had dual sovereignty with the state. So, even though Hawaii had dismissed the murder charges against him, the Navy did not have to follow suit. Granted, the evidence was in Steve's favor, and, hopefully, the Navy would agree.

But in the meantime, they had the right, and obligation, to investigate on their own. And considering the high profile nature of the case, with his picture and the words "Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steven McGarrett, former SEAL, charged with killing Gov. Jameson" splashed across the media outlets for days, he really wasn't surprised. The Navy would take their time and make sure they got it right. After all, it was not only his reputation at stake, but the entire Navy's as well.

Steve had put his trust in the Navy over 16 years ago, when he decided to attend Annapolis. And through the years, he had trusted them with his life, both at peace and at war, on missions and while stateside. They had never left him behind and never let him down. He would have to keep trusting them.

Steve ended the call with Lieutenant Collins, resigned to wait.

And, he reminded himself, it could have been worse.

Apparently, the Navy, like Catherine, had never heard about the stolen ten million dollars.

***H50***

It was close to 9:00 a.m. before the entire team arrived. Danny and Chin had met at HPD headquarters first to pick up the warrant, then visited the bank and picked up the account information before heading over to Steve's house.

"In here," Steve called to them from the kitchen as he heard Danny open the front door. "Tell me you have some good news," he said, leaning back to look at them from his seat at the kitchen table, where he was sitting with Kono and Kaye.

"We do," Danny replied, walking into kitchen, holding up the bank account records. "We got some information on Aloha Enterprises and the companies they do business with. Plus, their bank account has activity in it, besides the automatic payments to AT&T, so we may have hit on something. But we'll need to dig into it further before we know what we've found."

Danny quickly made copies of the information on Steve's all-in-one printer and handed them out. Chin, Kono, and Kaye each picked a different month and began researching the bank account transactions at the kitchen table. Steve and Danny moved to the living room and started their investigation with the company information the bank had on Aloha Enterprises.

There wasn't a whole lot of information to glean. The bank had only gathered minimal information about the company and the names of the people listed as the owners sounded a bit too generic. The names weren't as obvious as "John Doe" and "Jane Smith," but they weren't much better.

The address was also suspect; although the company was based in Honolulu, its mailing address was a PO Box. Legitimate companies almost always used physical addresses for their mail. The company owners were either transient or didn't want to be found, neither of which was good.

And, finally, although Aloha had activity in its accounts, it didn't have much in the way of assets. The money coming in was transferred out, usually on the same day it arrived, leaving little to no balances.

_Three strikes and you're out,_ Steve thought. _Or perhaps, more accurately, three red flags and you're a fake._

Steve looked up at Danny over the paperwork. "It looks like a shell corporation to me."

"Agreed," Danny nodded, shuffling through the papers. "It looks like Aloha has at least ten affiliated companies that it conducts business with. And I'm willing to bet at least some, if not all, of them are fronts. They are exactly the types of businesses you would set up for money laundering; restaurants, construction, floral shops; places with a lot of cash in and out, making it hard to track. You can tell by just looking at their names: Wahine Construction; Jordan Cleaners; Ono Fun Noodle House; Lane's Flowers… "

"Stop! What was that?" Steve interrupted, holding up his hand.

"Lane's Flowers?" Danny replied, questioningly.

"No, the one before it. Did you say Ono Fun Noodle House?" Steve asked, incredulously, wrinkling up his forehead.

"Yes…" Danny said as he nodded slowly, trying to figure out Steve's train of thought.

Steve stood up and began pacing the floor, scrubbing his face with his hand as he thought. "That's where I went to meet Kaye the night Wo Fat came and found me. That must be how he knew where I was; the workers inside tipped him off. Somehow, they knew he was looking for me; they must have some sort of loyalty to him… Maybe Wo Fat uses the restaurant to launder money. He may even own it."

"Hold on right there," Danny interjected, standing and holding up his hands. "That's a big leap. We don't know that Wo Fat owns the noodle house or even that anyone inside tipped him off that you were there. There is nothing in the evidence to suggest either one. He may have just followed you there."

"No," Steve shook his head, "I was careful that night. Nobody was following me. It can't just be a coincidence, Danny!"

Steve stopped pacing when he noticed that Chin had stopped working on his transactions in the kitchen and was now standing in the doorway, listening to their conversation. "What do you always say about coincidences, Chin?" he called.

"That they usually take a lot of planning," Chin replied, walking over to join them.

"Exactly! Or in this case, they take a common dominator- Wo Fat. Just think about it." Steve began pacing again as he continued his train of thought. "Wo Fat showed up at the noodle house no more than five minutes after I arrived to meet with Kaye. Then, right before Wo Fat comes in and shoots the Governor, someone called her office from a cell phone that is paid for by a shell corporation with ties to the same restaurant. Those can't be a coincidences! That has to be Wo Fat's cell phone!"

"It may very well be his cell, but right now, we don't have any hard proof to link him to it," Danny reasoned, calmly.

"But we will once we get his phone," Steve replied emphatically, still pacing. "We'll be able to look at the tracking log and see where he's been and when. And with that evidence to back up my eyewitness account, we can nail Wo Fat for the Governor's murder!"

"But you are forgetting one thing," Danny reminded him. "First, you have to be able to get Wo Fat's phone. And I don't really think he is just going to walk up to you on the street and hand it over to you. Besides, we still don't even know where he is. He may not even be in Hawaii."

"I know." Steve stopped pacing and placed his hand on his hip, looking seriously at both men. "We're going to have to lure him out."

"What are you going to dangle in front of him for bait?" Chin asked, curiously. "It has to be something he really wants."

"It is," Steve replied, nodding once. "But it's not a some_thing, _it's a some_one_."

Danny shook his head, determinedly, seemingly reading his partner's mind. "No. You are not going to put yourself out there so Wo Fat can just come get you. He's lethal even when you're at your physical best. Which, I hate to say, you are not right now."

"I know," Steve replied with another nod. "I'm not crazy."

Danny raised his eyebrows and peered at Steve.

"Ok." Steve rolled his eyes. "I'm not _that_ crazy."

Danny smirked, appeased. "So, if it's not you, who is it?" he asked.

Steve smiled as he looked back and forth between Danny and Chin.

Then he answered, "Sang Min."

_To be continued…._

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Author's note: All in favor of using Sang Min, raise your hand! (*raises hand*) ;)


	22. Chapter 22

Author's note: Thanks again for all the reviews and alerts, guys. We hit 400 reviews yesterday (thank you, lynnrxgal, for #400. for your prize, see below). I want you all to know I am totally and completely aware of how awesome you guys are. Thank you for hanging in there with me and continuing to give me your time, thoughts, and support. (and janie m- I tried to reply to your reviews, but you don't have pm's enabled. so, know I thank you for your kind words).

And, in celebration of hitting 400, I decided to post an extra chapter this week! So, I am posting ch 22 today and will post ch 23 on Thursday. So, again, thank you guys and lynn- I hope you don't mind sharing your prize with the class. ;)

Now, I feel a Danny rant coming on...

Chapter 22

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"Sang Min?" Danny asked, disbelieving.

Steve nodded, sincerely. "Yes."

"Don't you remember what happened the last time he 'helped us out'?" Danny asked, his fingers making air quotes.

"Yes," Steve nodded again. "There was a… complication."

Danny eyebrows raised up along with his body and he rocked back on his heels. "A complication? Is that what you're calling it? Because if I remember correctly, _and I do_, he not only slipped out of a pair of handcuffs and escaped on our watch and, might I add, _in my car, _but he also took Victor Hesse with him! And now you want to use him again? What makes you think this time will be any different?"

Steve shrugged and placed his hand on his hip. "Because this time, he came to us. We've got him safe under protective custody in the Oahu jail."

"Where he will want to stay," Danny pointed out, his hands gesturing in unison. "The only reason he came to us in the first place was because he was afraid Wo Fat was going to kill him. What makes you think he'll agree to be bait?"

"He'll want what we have to offer him," Steve replied simply.

"And what is that?" Danny questioned, dramatically. "An early grave? Maybe get him a nice, polished, mahogany casket to go with it? Huh? Or a lovely silver urn? And that's assuming we can even find his body in the first place! Wo Fat may just chop him up into fish food and dump him in the ocean!"

"Gee, Danny," Steve smirked, clearly amused. "I didn't know you cared."

"I don't!" Danny exploded. "But what you are failing to recognize here, _Steven_, is that 5-0 _does not exist anymore_," he continued, distinctly enunciating each word and emphasizing them with hand gestures. "We have _no means._ We have _no immunity. We have no authority. We can't offer Sang Min anything_."

"True, we can't," Steve said, unfazed. "But HPD can."

"Of course!" Danny snorted as he threw his hands up in the air. "Why didn't I think of that! Surely HPD will jump at the chance to do us a favor! After all, we are their favorite people right now! What's ten million dollars between friends? I'm willing to bet that Chief Mahaka is just sitting there in his office, right now, thinking warm fuzzies about us!"

"Well, maybe not," Steve admitted with a shrug. "But he wants Wo Fat as much as we do. He's under a lot of pressure to arrest the man who killed both the Governor and Laura Hills. And by helping us, we'll give him not only Wo Fat, but also additional evidence he'll need to put him and keep him behind bars. Seems like more than a fair trade to me. So, let's give him a call."

***H50***

Three hours later, Steve stood with Danny, waiting in the reception area of Chief Mahaka's office. _Talk about déjà vu,_ he thought.

Apparently, Chief Mahaka's assistant, Karen, thought the same thing. She was trying to do her work, but kept glancing up at them with a look that could only be described as a cross between wary resignation and complete terror.

_Can't really blame her, _Steve thought_. I'm sure things weren't fun around here after we left yesterday. She's probably afraid of a repeat performance._

Steve wished he could reassure her that things were going to be fine; that he wasn't about to waltz into her boss's office and send his blood pressure into the stratosphere. But Steve wasn't the type to make promises he couldn't keep. So, instead he offered her a small smile.

Karen looked surprised, but nervously returned his smile, before she quickly looked back down at her paperwork. She did not look back up again.

Steve sighed and looked over at Danny, who was rocking back and forth on his heels, his hands in his pockets and his lips pursed together. Steve knew Danny was not crazy about his plan. And, in all honesty, he knew Danny was generally not crazy about _any_ of his plans. But this time, Steve really could not blame him.

Finally, the intercom on Karen's desk crackled and the chief's voice commanded, "send them in." Karen jumped up and opened the door to the chief's office, allowing Steve and Danny to pass through. Then she closed the door very quickly, evidently not wanting to stick around for the fireworks.

"Sit," Chief Mahaka barked, inclining his head towards the chairs set out in front of his desk. He folded his arms over his chest and glared at them as they took their seats. "Why are you here?" he demanded, gruffly.

"We found something that can help you get Wo Fat," Steve replied.

The chief furrowed his brow. "Since yesterday?"

Steve nodded. "Yes. If you'll permit me, I'll explain what we found." Steve opened up the file he brought with him and handed the chief the paperwork. He explained step by step how the team started with a phone call and wound up with a solid way to place Wo Fat at the mansion when the Governor was murdered.

Chief Mahaka listened carefully and, once Steve finished explaining, he looked at McGarrett for a minute. He was still exceedingly mad at the commander and the 5-0 team. But as much as he hated to admit it, their work was giving HPD their best chance at arresting Wo Fat. So far, all they had on Wo Fat for the murders was McGarrett's eyewitness statement, given the night he was arrested, and potentially the tapes the Governor had made, also courtesy of 5-0. And now, less than 24 hours after the team left his office, they discovered something else to link Wo Fat to the Governor's murder. He always knew 5-0 was good, but that was beyond good. And angry or not, he'd be crazy to not follow up on the lead.

"Ok," the chief finally said, nodding. "It makes sense to get that cell phone. I can have an officer write up a search warrant for it. We're still going through the Governor's tapes, but we hope to have enough to write up an arrest warrant for murder soon, too. But neither one of them would do much good at the moment, since we don't know where Wo Fat is."

"Actually, we have a plan for finding him," Steve answered.

The Chief's eyebrows shot up, obviously surprised. "You do?"

"Yes," Steve nodded, earnestly. "But we will need your help with a few things."

"Such as…" the chief probed, not sure where Steve was leading.

"First of all, we need to be able to offer protection to these two people," Steve replied, pulling out a picture and handing it over to the chief. "They are potential targets of Wo Fat's."

Chief Mahaka looked at the picture of the woman and boy and nodded. "We might be able do that. Who are they?"

Steve paused, knowing he was about to enter tricky territory. He was going to have to play his cards exactly right from here on out if he wanted to get the chief's approval, and more importantly, his help. After a moment, Steve replied, "they are Sang Min's wife and child."

The chief did not take the news well.

"Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed, his voice rising with each word. "Sang Min is a snakehead! The only reason we are protecting him is because _your team_ shoved him down _my _throat and into _my_ jail before the Governor was killed! I would send him to Halawa tomorrow if I could! But thanks to the little agreement_ you_ made, _I'm_ stuck with him! And now you want me to extend protection to his family?"

Danny looked sideways at Steve, his face expressing an unspoken, "I told you so."

However, Steve was not willing to give up yet. The plan was solid. And, perhaps more importantly, it was the only plan they had.

"Chief," Steve reasoned, calmly, "they may be Sang Min's family, but they are still a mother and a child. They won't stand a chance out there by themselves if Wo Fat decides to make an example of them."

Chief Mahaka frowned as he considered what Steve had said. He definitely did not want to leave the wife and child at the mercy of Wo Fat, but doing any favors for Sang Min went against every bone in his body. After thinking a minute more, he sighed. "So, if we do this, what will that get us?"

Steve leaned forward, fully expecting the question. "If we can offer protection to his family, I think I can convince Sang Min to set himself up as bait for a meeting with Wo Fat."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" the chief asked. "Sang Min already fears for his life. I doubt he'll willingly agree to meet with the man who is trying to kill him."

"He doesn't have to actually meet with him," Steve explained, "we just need him to set up the meet and then show his face at the meet site."

"And how is he going to set up the meet? After all, he's in hiding and even if he wasn't, he couldn't just call Wo Fat; that would be too suspicious."

"Agreed," Steve said with a nod. "We're going to let him out of jail, keeping him under surveillance, of course. Then, we'll have him contact an intermediary. The intermediary will then, undoubtedly, call Wo Fat and let him know Sang Min's location."

"You sure are placing a lot on confidence in this intermediary," the chief responded. "Just who did you have in mind?"

Steve could feel Danny tense up beside him, evidently expecting a bad reaction to the forthcoming reply. And, although the intermediary was someone Steve hated vehemently and would never choose to work with, he was also their only viable option. However, there was some satisfaction in knowing the man would be used as a pawn to bring down Steve's nemesis.

There was no way to sugar coat the answer, so Steve just spit it out.

"Hiro Noshimuri."

"_Hiro Noshimuri!"_ the chief almost yelled.

Steve could sense Danny shooting over another "I told you so" look, which he ignored.

"The arrogant SOB who's out on bail? I wouldn't trust him to do anything but stab me in the back!"

"And I wouldn't, either," Steve replied, calmly. "But the good news is, we don't have to trust him. He won't know he's being played. Hiro has been in Wo Fat's dog house ever since we arrested him on the golf course. Believe me, Hiro will jump at the chance to rat out Sang Min and get back into Wo Fat's good graces. He'll call Wo Fat and offer Sang Min to him on a silver platter. And when Wo Fat arrives to take down Sang Min, we will arrest him."

The chief was silent for a moment, considering Steve's plan. Needless to say, it was insane. And risky. And it had multiple opportunities for failure built right into it. But then again, Wo Fat was too smart to be caught by ordinary means. He would smell a normal set-up a mile away. McGarrett's plan, while crazy, just might be crazy enough to work.

However, there was still one point the chief needed to clarify before making his final decision.

"And by 'we' you mean…" the chief's voice trailed off, the question implicit.

"5-0, one of your SWAT teams, and a dozen or two HPD officers," Steve answered, matter-of-factly.

The chief looked at Steve like he was insane. "Jeez, McGarrett! Would you like to ask for a pony while you're at it?"

Steve smiled. "I'll pass on the pony, but now that you ask, there is one other thing you could get for me…"

_To be continued…_

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	23. Chapter 23

Author's notes: For those of you who don't have this story on alert and are doing your normal, Thursday check-in, you missed a chapter. I posted one on Tuesday, too, so there are three chapters this week. (surprise!)

And for those of you who liked the Danny rant in the last chapter, today I give you... more Danny rant! :D

Chapter 23

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"You're awfully quiet," Steve remarked, glancing over at Danny from the driver's seat of the Camaro as they drove down Beretania Street towards the Oahu Community Correctional Center.

Danny pursed his lips as he looked out the passenger side window, watching as the buildings flashed by. "I don't have anything to say."

Steve's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You?"

Danny nodded, still looking out the window and with his lips still pressed tightly together. "I said it all already. And quite eloquently, I might add."

"I wasn't aware that yelling 'what are you thinking, you moron?' at the top of your lungs was eloquence," Steve snarked.

"It conveyed my point," Danny replied, tersely.

"Yes, it did," Steve agreed as he turned left onto Dillingham Boulevard. "But it didn't change my mind."

"Which is why I stopped talking," Danny said. "There is no point in saying something over and over again if you aren't going to listen to me. It just makes me mad."

"I'll note that for future reference," Steve replied, sarcastically. "Note to self: if Danny stops talking, he's mad at you. And he thinks you're a moron."

Danny nodded. "Sounds about right."

Steve sighed heavily, looking out the windshield, and straight ahead at the road. "It's a good plan," he mumbled under his breath.

"A good plan?" Danny exclaimed, finally turning to look at Steve, incredulously. "How on earth can you think using _two_ known criminals and cold-blooded killers to get to a _third_ known criminal and cold- blooded killer is a_ good_ plan?"

Steve shrugged and glanced over at Danny. "It has a high probably of success."

"And a high level of insanity!" Danny almost yelled.

Steve shrugged again and looked back at the road. "That doesn't mean it's not a good plan."

Danny snorted. "I'll try to remember that when I'm bleeding."

Steve rolled his eyes. "You're not going to get shot, Danny."

"Ok." Danny nodded. "Then I'll try to remember that when my car gets stolen. Again."

"We got your car back," Steve said with a sigh.

"Eventually," Danny mumbled, looking back out the passenger side window.

Steve decided to cede the point and change the subject as they turned into the parking lot.

"Well, even though you don't like the plan _and_ you think I'm a moron, I appreciate you not saying anything about either one in front of Chief Mahaka. Getting him to cooperate was hard enough as it was without dissention from the peanut gallery."

Danny begrudgingly nodded. "You're welcome."

Steve stopped the car and opened the door. "Let's hope we have an easier time with Sang Min."

***H50***

Steve and Danny stood and waited for Sang Min in the visitation area of the jail. Unlike Halawa, the visitation area was not divided into cubbies, separated by Plexiglas, with phones to communicate. Instead, it was a medium sized room, akin to a conference room, with multiple round tables scattered about with chairs neatly tucked underneath them. Since they were trying to keep Sang Min under the radar, they waited until normal visitation hours were over and the room had been cleared of other inmates and guests.

A few minutes later Sang Min walked in wearing a jumpsuit and handcuffs. His mullet was oiled carefully, as always, giving him the appearance of a slimy weasel. _Which is exactly what he is_, Steve thought.

Sang Min swaggered over to where Steve and Danny were standing. He looked McGarrett up and down, slowly, appraising the splint, bruises, and stitches. The left corner of his mouth turned up into a half-grin. "Looks like Victor Hesse got to you," he said, his head bobbing and weaving.

"What makes you think that?" Steve replied, calmly.

Sang Min eyed the stitches in Steve's broken hand before looking back up at his face. "I recognize his work," he said with a smirk.

Steve shook his head and smiled, refusing to let Sang Min get to him. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I just slipped in the shower. That's all."

"You're not going to admit it, are you, McGarrett? But I'm not surprised. You wouldn't want word to get out that you can't handle yourself." Sang Min ran his tongue over his teeth and bobbed his head around, waiting to see if he would get a rise out of Steve.

Steve just stood there, looking at Sang Min calmly, and did not say a word.

Disappointed, Sang Min changed tactics. "You've been quite the celebrity lately. Every time I turn on CNN, I see your ugly face. They've had quite a bit to say about you and your… _extracirricular activities._"

"Yeah, well, you can't believe everything you hear on TV," Steve said with another smile. "But I am glad to know my tax dollars are paying for your cable."

"And I am worth every penny, huh?" Sang Min smiled.

"We're about to find out," Steve replied.

Sang Min's smile faded. He paused for a minute before asking, "what do you want, McGarrett?"

"I'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse."

"And what's that?" Sang Min countered, his voice condescending.

Steve wasn't fazed. "You agree to help us get Wo Fat and we'll place your family in protective custody in a safe house."

Sang Min frowned and narrowed his eyes at Steve. "Evidently you don't understand that's an offer I _can_ refuse."

Steve returned Sang Min's look with a steely gaze of his own. "And evidently you don't understand that I'm not giving you a choice."

Sang Min's look turned murderous. "And what are you going to do if I say 'no'? You can't do anything to me. You're not a cop anymore."

"That's true, I'm not." Steve stepped closer to Sang Min, until he was just inches from his face. He spoke calmly, but the threat was unmistakable in his low, gravelly voice. "But I am the person who brokered your cushy little protective custody stay here in the Hilton of Hawaii jail cells. One word from me, and Chief Mahaka would be absolutely thrilled to not only toss your sorry butt in with the general population at Halawa but to also let your family fend for themselves. And I'm willing to bet that within a week, you would all be dead. But if that's a chance you are willing to take, I'm fine with that. It'd give me one less scumbag to keep up with."

Sang Min stared at Steve as he considered what he had said. If he was sent to Halawa, he probably would be dead fairly quickly. Victor Hesse had evidently gotten to Steve rather easily, even in protective custody, and the damage he inflicted was impressive. And while Sang Min and Hesse worked together occasionally, when the need arose, he has no illusions as to where Victor's loyalties lay. If Wo Fat ordered Hesse to kill him, Sang Min knew he'd be dead before that day was over.

And his family would not fare any better. They were already at risk, although Sang Min stashed them away as best he could before approaching 5-0 in their office and requesting protection. But he knew it was only a matter of time before Wo Fat found them and either threatened or killed them, trying to lure Sang Min out of hiding. If he did agree to help 5-0, at least his wife and son had a shot at staying alive.

But if he agreed to help capture Wo Fat and they failed, he and his family would all be dead.

Steve seemed to read the conflict in Sang Min's eyes and just stood there, staring at him and letting him process his thoughts.

Finally, Sang Min nodded, reluctantly. "What do you want me to do?"

***H50***

Upon returning home after his visit with Sang Min, Steve wasted no time in turning his living room into a war room. The easels with pictures of champ box evidence were removed and placed against the wall in the guest bedroom. The copies of the bank account transactions and information on the shell corporations were neatly stacked and placed on the floor in the corner. The flash drives, holding the recorded conversations, were locked in a gun safe in Steve's bedroom.

They would come back to all of it later.

But right now, the only thing that mattered was planning the capture of Wo Fat.

Steve thumb tacked papers to the wall, displaying all the necessary information; blueprints of the meet site, personnel lists, position assignments, contingency plans, ammunition requirements… the lists went on and on and covered almost every available inch of wall space in the room.

Steve, Danny, Chin, Kono, and Kaye stayed up late and got up early for three days in a row, going over every item in pain-staking detail. Finally, they were satisfied that the plan was refined as much as it could be, and, more importantly, that the plan they developed was the one that would have the best chance of success. After all, they would only get one shot.

On the fourth day, Chief Mahaka, the SWAT team members, and the officers who were assisting in capturing Wo Fat gathered for a briefing in a conference room at HPD headquarters.

Steve and the team presented the plan, along with backup contingencies, and answered questions as they arose.

"What makes you think Sang Min won't bolt the second we let him out of jail?" Chief Mahaka asked.

"We'll place two ankle monitors on him before he leaves the jail," Steve replied. "And we'll attach a GPS monitoring device to his car. He will only go to the locations we specify, where he will be under surveillance by undercover officers who will already be at the locations, waiting from him. We will also have additional officers on the street and in unmarked cars, following him. He will be warned that if, at any time, he makes a run for it, we will treat it as a jail break and shoot him."

"You guys don't mess around," one of the officers muttered under his breath, impressed.

"No. We don't," Steve replied, curtly. "Any other questions?"

"What if Wo Fat doesn't show?" one of the SWAT men asked.

Steve nodded once. "Then we will wait. We have enough people to keep Sang Min under surveillance for 48 hours. If Wo Fat has not shown by then, we will abort the plan and bring Sang Min back into custody. But I don't think it will come to that. Wo Fat wants Sang Min too badly. He'll show."

By mid-afternoon, every possible scenario was covered and everyone was fully committed to executing the plan the following day.

As Steve and the team packed up to leave, Chief Mahaka walked over to Steve and held out his hand.

"Good luck," he said, sincerely, implicitly offering to let go of their disagreements from the prior weeks, allowing the dissention to become water under the bridge.

The chief was a big enough man to admit he had originally been wrong about McGarrett. Clearly, he was not a criminal; the 5-0 leader was committed to justice at a level the chief had seldom seen, even among the best law-enforcement officers. And while he did not approve of all of McGarrett's tactics, the truth was, he got results. And tomorrow, they would have the opportunity to capture the man who killed both the Governor and Laura Hills; an opportunity which never would have been available without McGarrett's dogged determination and sheer force of will.

Steve looked at Chief Mahaka's outstretched hand for a moment before extending his own, accepting his offer. "Thank you, Chief. We won't let you down."

Chief Mahaka nodded. "I know. Now, let's go get this SOB."

_To be continued…._

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	24. Chapter 24

Author's note: I have just one announcement today- hopefully one you will like!

As previously mentioned, I am blown away by the reviews for this story. When we reached 300 reviews, and I said I wished I had a prize, kimber graciously said the chapter was her prize. Which made me think of something- maybe a chapter could be a prize. (I hope that doesn't sound arrogant. Believe me, I am completely aware that I am not James Patterson, Brad Thor, or Peter Lenkov. But stories are all I really have to offer, since brownies would get smushed in the mail). So, last week, to celebrate hitting 400 reviews, I posted an extra chapter for lynn and all of you. And now that 500 reviews look like a definite possibility (which is really mind-blowing), I wanted to do something special to show how much I appreciate all of you wonderful reviewers and readers. And here's what I came up with:

If we reach 500 reviews, the 500th reviewer will get to send me a few story prompts/topics. I will pick one of them and write a one-shot for him/her, which will be posted for everyone to enjoy. (some restrictions apply. See author for details.) ;)

I will also pick a review, at random, from review #400 and up. So, for example, if we reach 510 reviews, my kiddo will pick a number between 400 and 510, and that reviewer will also get to send me a few prompts for a one-shot, one of which I will write, posted for all to enjoy.

If we don't make it to 500, I will still pick a reviewer at random. So, if we make it to 475, my kiddo will pick a number between 400 and 475 and that reviewer will get to send prompts for a story, one of which I will write and post.

Make sense? I'll pick the random number after midnight, August 28, (three days after the epilogue is posted) to let everyone have a chance to review. I'll notify the winners via private message and then write the stories and post them as quickly as possible (hopefully before season 2 starts, but I can't make any promises). And, if your review number is picked, and you don't want to do this, that's cool, too. Just let me know and I'll pick another number. No hard feelings.

Sound like fun? I hope so! Because you guys really are the best. :D

Now, back to the hunt for Wo Fat…

Chapter 24

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"It's like déjà vu, huh?" Sang Min commented as Danny attached one of the monitoring devices to his ankle the next morning.

"A bit," Danny agreed as he snapped the lock on the device. "Except this time you won't get away."

"You don't think my skills are good enough to escape?" Sang Min asked, bobbing and weaving his head as he grinned at Danny and Steve.

"I think your escaping skills are fine," Steve replied, calmly, as he leaned against the wall in the jail and watched as Danny attached the second monitoring device to Sang Min's other ankle. "I just happen to know my aim is better."

The grin slowly disappeared from Sang Min's face. He ran his tongue over his teeth. "So you were serious about shooting me if I run, huh?" he asked, with a lift of his head.

"Dead serious," Steve answered.

Danny snapped the second device closed and stood up. "Ok, you're ready to go."

Steve handed Sang Min a burn phone, which was already authorized for a wire tap.

Sang Min pocketed the phone in his left jacket pocket. He looked in the mirror and pulled down the cuffs on his shirt sleeves and rolled his shoulders a few times before smoothing over his hair. Satisfied that his appearance was up to his standards, he turned and looked expectantly at Steve. "Aren't you even going to give me a piece, McGarrett?"

Steve shook his head. "There's no way I'm letting you near a gun. You know that."

"I might need it. What happens if I need to shoot someone?"

"Like one of us?" Steve scoffed, raising his eyebrows.

"No," Sang Min countered with a sneer, "like Wo Fat."

Steve walked over and stood directly in front of Sang Min. His steely gaze locked on Sang Min's eyes and continued to hold them as he spoke in a deathly quiet voice.

"Trust me, when Wo Fat arrives, there will be plenty of guns trained on him. Including mine."

***H50***

"I hate waiting," Danny grumbled an hour later as he, Steve, Chin, Kono, Jenna, and a few HPD officers sat in what they had dubbed "the situation room" at HPD headquarters. The room had been transformed from a simple conference room into a complex monitoring station. Multiple TVs, placed around the room, were feeding in information ranging from traffic cameras around the city to a satellite map, transmitting the exact location of Sang Min's car. They also had listening devices set up at all the locations Sang Min would visit and everything they needed to monitor the wire tap on his phone. All the advance planning and prep work had been done. All that was left to do was wait.

"I don't like it either," Steve replied. "But we can't be out there and risk getting made."

Danny sighed. "I know. I get it." He rubbed his eyes as he watched Sang Min's silver Mercedes stop for a red light at the intersection of Nauuanu Avenue and N. King Street. "It just gets really boring, especially when all Sang Min's done for the past hour is drive around, making sure he doesn't have any tails that don't belong to us."

"Well, it looks like that's changing, right now." Steve gestured to the TV that showed the outside of Club 45 in Chinatown, where Sang Min's Mercedes was pulling over to the curb.

They watched as Sang Min parked the car and sat there for a minute.

"What's he waiting for?" Jenna asked.

"He's trying to make sure we're the only ones watching him," Chin replied.

Evidently convinced he was in the clear, Sang Min stepped out of the car and with a quick glance around, opened up the door to the hostess bar and went inside.

"You got the audio feed on?" Steve asked one of the HPD officers, who nodded.

They turned their attention to one of the TVs on the right side of the room as Sang Min stepped into the hallway of the bar and was frisked by a large man. Satisfied that Sang Min was clean, the man went back to his post at the door and Sang Min stepped into the main room of the hostess bar.

At this hour of the day, none of the ladies had arrived yet and the room was vacant, save for one bartender. However, the room had many silent witnesses at HPD, thanks to one of the many small video cameras they slipped in the day before when an officer masqueraded undercover as one of the cleaning crew.

They watched as Sang Min looked around and then approached the bartender, who looked up from the glasses he was cleaning.

"Sang Min," the bartender said with a smile. "It's been a while. Where have you been?"

"I've been busy with business, you know?" he replied with a smile. He casually leaned on the bar with his left elbow, turning his body so he still had a view of the entrance, before he continued. "Actually, I was wondering if I could speak to your boss about an opportunity that just came up. Do you know where I could find him?"

The bartender shook his head. "He's been laying low ever since he posted bail. But, if you want, I might be able to find someone who could get a hold of him. Do you have a number where I can reach you?"

Sang Min made a show of thinking the suggestion over, when in actuality, the bartender's offer was exactly what he was hoping he would say. Finally he nodded.

"Ok. Do you have a pen?"

***H50***

Less than an hour later, Sang Min took a seat on the sofa in the living room of what was formerly an unknown HPD safe house. But now, it was known simply as "the meet location."

It was his very own, personal gilded cage where he sat and waited as bait.

And, even Sang Min had to agree that as far as cages went, this one was fairly nice. It was a small, but comfortable, house on a large lot in a sleepy section of Oahu. There wasn't much of a view, but the lot was large and flat, with several shade trees, and provided excellent lines of sight. The closest house on each side was at least 50 yards away and he had no doubt they currently housed the finest snipers in HPD.

There were no men in the house with him, but he knew each room had an audio/video camera as well as a backup audio feed in case the cameras were taken out. But it was unlikely that would happen; Sang Min looked around the house carefully when he arrived and he only found one of the cameras, although he knew there were dozens. Begrudgingly, he had to admit to himself that 5-0 and HPD knew what they were doing.

He also filed away everything he saw and noticed about their tactics for the next time they met. After all, they were only on the same side for one day.

Today.

Sang Min was starting to get antsy when his burn phone finally rang.

He let it ring a few times before answering, not wanting to appear anxious to the caller. "Yes?" he asked.

"I hear you have some business you want to discuss," he heard a familiar voice say.

Sang Min silently breathed out a sigh of relief. It was Hiro Noshimuri.

"Yes, I do," Sang Min replied, licking his lips once. "I just became aware of a very interesting business venture. One large enough for more than one player."

Hiro paused before answering. "Is that so," he asked, slowly. "What type of _opportunity?_"

"I'd rather not say over the phone," Sang Min said, and then paused, stalling for time. "But, if you are interested, maybe we could discuss it. Face to face."

Hiro paused again, evidently considering Sang Min's proposition, before he answered. "I might be able to do that. Why don't you meet me at the bar, tonight at 10 p.m.?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could meet somewhere more… _private_… and earlier today. This opportunity will not last long, heh? We would want to get started as soon as possible."

Sang Min held his breath as Hiro was silent again, hoping he did not smell the trap.

Most people thought criminals were dumb. And, granted, Sang Min had run into a few over the years who fit the bill. But they were all in prison now. The good criminals, the ones who were really intelligent and ran their operations like a cross between the mob and a Fortune 500 company, those were the ones you had to be careful with. And Hiro Noshimuri was nothing if not intelligent. Which, unfortunately, also made him very shrewd. And cautious.

After a minute, Hiro spoke. "Where would you like to meet?"

"I'm staying at a house in Waianae. I'll give you the address…"

***H50***

"OK, that went pretty well," Kono said after Hiro Noshimuri and Sang Min finished their phone call. She looked at Steve, Danny, and Chin. "How long do you think it will be before Hiro calls Wo Fat to rat out Sang Min's location?"

Steve shook his head. "I have no idea. But hopefully, not too long."

"It's too bad we couldn't get a wire on Hiro's phone as well," she sighed.

"True," Steve answered. "But we can now that we have his phone number." He turned to one of the HPD officers in the situation room with them. "Could you go request a wire on Noshimuri's number?"

The officer nodded and left to walk down the hall to request the wire tap.

One of the other officers, with a headset held up to his right ear, turned to Steve. "We have an incoming call on Wo Fat's phone," he said.

Danny stretched his arms out in front of him, cracked his knuckles, and smiled. "Come to papa, baby."

Steve grinned as well. Knowing Wo Fat's cell phone number had more than one benefit. Not only would they be able to track his whereabouts once they got the phone, but they also had already placed a wire on it, allowing them to listen in on all of his calls.

Steve smirked. _Criminals always think they are so smart_, he thought. And, as he knew, the good ones were. And underestimating them would get you killed. But often, they were brought down by the most routine things. Al Capone was thrown in prison for tax evasion. The FBI learned about Bonnie and Clyde because they stole a couple of cars and drove them across states lines. _Of course, they stole Fords, _Steve thought, having never been able to comprehend why bad guys loved to drive Fords, being a Chevy man himself. And now Wo Fat would be caught and arrested for murder simply because he wanted an iPhone instead of a standard throwaway. _It doesn't always pay to be one of the cool kids_…

Steve's thoughts were interrupted as Wo Fat's phone was answered on the fourth ring.

"I trust this is important," Wo Fat said.

"It is," Hiro answered. "I recently found some merchandise you were interested in acquiring."

"Are you referring to the merchandise from China?" Wo Fat asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Yes," Hiro replied. "I know where it is located. I thought you might be interested in sending someone to take a look and possibly pick it up."

"You thought correctly," Wo Fat answered, smoothly, his voice as chillingly cold as ever.

"Now, where can I find this merchandise?"

_To be continued…_

***************************************H50****************************************

Author's note: The set-up is now complete. Next chapter… action! (and it's an extra long chapter, too.) :D


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

***************************************H50*******************************************

Two hours later, a black Mercedes slowly made its way down the street before turning into the driveway of Sang Min's temporary home.

Kaye and several officers watched the car approach the house from the safety of the HPD situation room. Steve and Danny, as well as Chin and Kono, refused to sit out the take down. With Chief Mahaka's approval, they left earlier and set up at two different secure locations near the meet site.

Kaye picked up the Nextel two-way radio, which shared a secure frequency with both sets of partners as well as the HPD officers and SWAT team in the field. "We have a black Mercedes approaching the house from the driveway," she said.

Steve nodded as he looked through a set of binoculars from Danny's Camaro, perched on a road above and behind the house, several hundred yards away.

Danny, sitting in the driver's seat next to Steve in the car, pressed the button on the radio. "Got it," he confirmed.

"Us too," they heard Chin's voice crackle over the radio. He and Kono were watching from Chin's SUV a few blocks from the house. "Looks like a scout team," he continued.

Steve squinted in the binoculars for a few more seconds and then put them down and, with his good hand, took the radio from Danny. "That's affirmative," Steve said. "There are two men in the car, neither of which is Wo Fat. Let's sit tight and see what they do."

The car pulled to a stop under one of the trees in front of the house. The car doors opened and two large men got out. The driver emerged, empty-handed, although Steve knew he had a weapon or two hidden on his body somewhere. The passenger was most likely similarly armed and was carrying a bulky, handheld device.

"Anyone recognize them?" Steve asked over the radio.

"Negative," came Chin's reply a few seconds later.

"So, we have no way of knowing if these guys belong to Hiro or Wo Fat," Danny commented, watching the men through his own set of binoculars.

Steve shook his head. "Not really. But my money's on Wo Fat."

They watched as the men slowly walked towards the house, glancing around as they went.

"Looks like they're here to check things out," Danny murmured. "That thing has to be a thermal imaging device."

"Sure looks like it," Steve agreed, glad they had decided against putting anyone in the house with Sang Min. Even though Steve did not like the criminal, he certainly didn't want him to die, especially not during a sting operation that he, himself, had set-up.

As the men got closer to the house, they diverged. The driver headed towards the front door, while the passenger walked around to the right side of this house, making it impossible to view them through binoculars at the same time.

"I'll watch the driver; you take the passenger," Steve said to Danny.

Steve watched as the driver stepped onto the front porch and hesitated, looking around before he withdrew a gun from a side holster. "The driver's got heat," he said. "Looks like a Beretta."

"My guy's looking in all the windows with the imager," Danny said. "He keeps moving on, so I don't think he's seeing anything suspicious."

A few tense minutes later, the passenger made it all the way around the house and joined the driver on the front porch. He set the thermal imager down on the ground and withdrew his own weapon. Then he nodded at the driver, who nodded back and then rang the door bell.

Steve held his breath and waited for Sang Min to open the door, praying the men would not shoot him. Granted, Sang Min was wearing a Kevlar vest under his button up shirt and jacket, but there was nothing they could do if the men went for a head shot.

Steve's whole plan hinged on the fact that Wo Fat liked to tie off his loose ends personally, like he did with the Governor and Laura Hills. But, if Wo Fat deviated from his nature, and instead sent these men to take care of things, then Sang Min would be dead and they would be back to square one, without any ideas on how to catch Wo Fat. He would disappear again, for who knew how long, and they would have missed their best chance. And possibly their only chance.

Chief Mahaka was only giving them one shot and if they failed, they would lose what little authority and protection they had. Five-0 would become as defunct in reality as they were on paper.

Steve put down his binoculars again and picked up the two way radio, pushing the button. "Kaye, keep us live so we can hear what's going on."

"Will do," Jenna replied, then kept the button pushed down on the radio so that the conversation they were about to hear in the situation room would be broadcast to Five-0 and the officers in the field.

Steve and Danny watched as Sang Min finally opened the door, half-way. "Who are you?" he asked.

"We are associates of Mr. Noshimuri," the driver replied. "We've come to make sure this location is secure. We need to come in."

Steve tensed as he watched Sang Min debate whether or not to let them in. This was not part of the plan. But, thankfully, they had prepared a scenario just in case it happened.

"What? Hiro does not trust me, huh?" Sang Min replied with a customary bob and weave of his head. "Maybe I don't want to do business with people who don't trust me."

The driver shifted his weight. "We need to come in," he repeated. "Otherwise, Mr. Noshimuri will not feel comfortable coming to this location."

Sang Min ran the tip of his tongue over his teeth and looked the men up and down. Then he opened the door the rest of the way. "Fine," he said, irritated, and stepped outside onto the porch. "But I'll wait out here while you invade my personal privacy."

"Good job," Steve muttered under his breath as he watched. One of the things he had drilled into Sang Min was that he shouldn't be alone with anyone where HPD could not have eyes, and guns, on him. If he was, there was no way they could protect him.

The driver disappeared into the house while the passenger waited on the porch with Sang Min. After a few minutes, the driver emerged back through the front door. He nodded once to Sang Min and said, "Mr. Noshimuri will be here to meet with you shortly," before he and the passenger walked back to the black Mercedes.

"Sure he will," Danny mocked. Even though he did not know who the men worked for, he did know what they just told Sang Min was a blatant lie. "There really is no honor among thieves."

"Generally not," Steve replied as he watched the men drive off in the car and Sang Min go back inside the house.

"So," Danny asked, taking his binoculars down from his eyes, "how long do you think it will be before Wo Fat shows up?"

Steve suddenly sat straight up in the passenger seat of the car, his gaze still focused on the house. "Evidently not long." He quickly grabbed the radio and pushed the button, the frequency once again free. "I've got a white Mercedes coming in at two o'clock. Wo Fat's in the back seat."

"Copy that," Chin replied.

"Us too," he heard one of the plain clothes officers reply.

"And us," chimed in a SWAT team member.

"Ok, guys," Steve said. "This is it. Look sharp and stick to the plan."

Danny started the car and then picked his binoculars up again in time to see the white Mercedes circle in front of the house and stop, the front of the car pointed towards the street. _Looking to make a quick getaway, _Steve thought.

The driver got out, and based on the bulge in his suit jacket, Danny could tell he was carrying at least two guns; one in a holster on his right side and another tucked into the back of his pants. Another man got out of the passenger side and appeared to be armed similarly. He moved to the back door and opened it.

Wo Fat stepped out of the back seat of the car and looked around.

"C'mon," Danny whispered, "go to the door." He smiled a minute later when Wo Fat complied with his request.

Steve was watching, too, as Wo Fat walked up the steps and onto the front porch. Then Steve put down his binoculars and pulled out a disposable phone of his own. He pushed the speed dial button for the only number he had programmed into it, putting the call on speaker as Danny held down the Nextel button, allowing everyone on the team to listen in on their conversation.

Wo Fat was reaching his hand out to push the doorbell when suddenly his pocket began vibrating. He withdrew his hand and looked around the front yard, scanning for danger. Upon seeing nothing out of place, he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out his iPhone. He did not recognize the number and considered hitting the "ignore" button, but decided to answer it instead and lifted it to his ear.

"Here, let us get that doorbell for you," Wo Fat heard a voice say on the phone. Before he could react, a bullet whizzed past him and the doorbell exploded.

"Now that we have your attention," Steve said through the phone, menacingly, "we have you surrounded. If you surrender and come with us peacefully, no harm will come to you."

Wo Fat smiled as he began scanning the premises again, looking for the sniper. "McGarrett," he replied, pleasantly, "that beating you took in prison must have affected your brain. So, let me refresh your memory. You don't have any legal authority anymore."

"That's true," Steve agreed, his voice still threatening, "I don't. But the HPD officers surrounding you do. So, if you want to live, I suggest you surrender. Now."

Wo Fat's smile faded and he disconnected the call, calmly placing the phone back into his pocket. Then he lifted his head, minutely.

And all hell broke loose.

***H50***

"Go! Go!" Steve yelled at Danny, as he dropped the phone into his lap pulled out his SIG. Danny threw the Camaro in gear and they raced towards the meet location, which, in a few short seconds, had become a battleground.

Steve cursed at himself and wondered how Wo Fat had gotten anyone in position. However, he only had seconds to think about it as Danny quickly pulled up and stopped behind the house. Before Danny even had the car in "park", Steve threw the door open and began running towards the front to provide support. He slowed down as he drew close, then paused for a moment to peek around the house's front, right corner and assess the situation.

Wo Fat and his driver were hunkered down behind the two open front doors of the Mercedes, using the doors as shields as they fired their handguns towards the front and sides of the property. Wo Fat's other man was laying a few feet off the front porch, blood pouring from a messy headshot, apparently dead. The two other men, who visited the house earlier in the black Mercedes, were a little further out on the lawn. One of them was sprawled awkwardly on the ground and appeared dead as well; the other one was hiding behind a tree, trying to pick off anyone who approached from the front. Steve did not know why the snipers had not already taken out Wo Fat, but surmised the angle must be off.

And, unfortunately, the angle was also off for him, the car blocking a good, clean shot. However, he did have the element of surprise working for him. Wo Fat and his driver had their backs to the house, and, therefore, to Steve as well.

While Steve was surveying the action and quickly formulating a plan, he saw movement behind him from the corner of his eye. He turned his head to see Danny running up beside him, his Heckler and Koch out and ready.

"What's the plan?" Danny whispered, urgently.

Steve nodded once, resolutely, eyes blazing. "Cover me." And with that, Steve burst from the corner of the house in his familiar, running crouch.

Danny cursed silently to himself but waited before he fired, not wanting to alert Wo Fat and his driver of his position. And, more importantly, not wanting to alert them to the fact that Steve was running straight at Wo Fat, through a hail of bullets, like some crazy action hero in a video game.

Wo Fat's gunman seemed to sense Steve's approach and spun around. Danny dropped him with a quick shot to the right shoulder.

Unfortunately, the shooting of his driver alerted Wo Fat to the attack from behind. He spun around, gun in hand, pointed directly at Steve, who was still running at him from approximately ten feet away. The car was blocking Danny's angle and before he could adjust and get off a shot, a gunshot went off and Steve leapt at Wo Fat. They both went down, disappearing behind the far side of the car.

"Steve!" Danny yelled, but he could not see what had happened; Wo Fat's Mercedes was still blocking his view. He glanced up quickly to see the last man from the black Mercedes, who was still hiding behind a tree, go down.

_Should be all of them,_ Danny thought, but he didn't even wait to hear if all of the gunfire had subsided. He took off in a crouched run, gun drawn, towards Steve and Wo Fat. He didn't know what he was going to find when he made it around to the other side of the car, but the reality certainly wasn't what he imagined he would see.

Steve was on his knees, a short, but safe, distance away from Wo Fat, breathing heavily with his right arm pressed tightly against his body, blood smeared across his shirt. He still was holding the SIG in his left hand, which was pointed directly at Wo Fat's head.

Danny also trained his weapon on Wo Fat, who was laying on his back on the ground beside the car. His gun was several feet away, presumably where Steve had either tossed or kicked it.

Not that a gun would have done Wo Fat much good, anyway. Because squarely in the middle of his right hand was a gaping, bleeding hole where a bullet had gone, through and through. He clutched his right hand with his left, grimacing in pain, trying to stem the flow of blood. Although he did not utter a word, there was no mistaking Wo Fat's anger and hatred. He was positively seething. But he was also smart, and knew better than to say anything.

"Steve, you hit?" Danny asked urgently, noticing Steve's labored breathing and eyeing the blood on his torso.

"I'm good," Steve replied, still somewhat out of breath. "Blood's his, not mine. Got it on me when I tackled him."

"You sure you're ok?" Danny asked again, relieved Steve had not been shot, but now concerned that his partner might have reinjured himself. "'Cause you seem a bit… winded."

"Trust me… I've never been better."

Now that the rush of the moment was subsiding, Danny could hear that all the gunfire was indeed over. Sirens were wailing, coming closer from a distance. He glanced up to see Chin and Kono running up to them from the street in front of the house, their guns also drawn.

"You guys ok?" Chin called as he and Kono stopped beside them and also trained their guns on Wo Fat.

"We're fine," Steve nodded. "You?"

"We're good."

"And everyone else?" Steve asked.

"One of the officers was winged. His partner's attending to him know, but he should be fine. Everyone else is ok," Chin replied.

"Good," Steve nodded, curtly, still looking down at Wo Fat. "Now we just need some cuffs."

"I'd be more than happy to help you with that," Chin said as he handed his Serbu Super Shorty to Kono. He pulled a pair of handcuffs from his back belt loop and held them out to Steve. "Boss, would you like to do the honors?"

Steve looked intently at Chin and then holstered his gun and took the cuffs from him. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I would."

Chin leaned down and roughly rolled Wo Fat onto his stomach, pulling his arms tightly behind his back. He held them there and pinned Wo Fat to the ground with a firm knee to the back as Steve cuffed him, ironically only using his one, good hand.

Then Chin began to recite.

"Wo Fat, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law…"

_To be continued…_

**************************************H50*******************************************

Author's note: I hope you all liked the action and extra-long chapter! You have no idea how much it absolutely *killed* me not to write "_to be continued_" after the break mid-chapter. But then again, knowing me, you probably do! So, please note for the record that I *can* be nice and pass on a killer cliffhanger. But don't count on it happening too often. ;D


	26. Chapter 26

Author's note: A few of you have mentioned you would like for me to keep writing and posting more to this story. I have good news and bad news on that front. The good news is there are four more chapters to go, including this one. The bad news is, then it's over. (Although, if you're sick of this story, then I guess that would be good news, too, lol).

So, never fear… there is more and I will wrap up all those pesky loose ends and story arcs that I started chapters (and chapters) ago along with the ones from the season finale. Including: what will happen to Five-0? And Wo Fat? And Danny and Rachel? And Steve and the Navy? And, most importantly of all, what did Steve ask Chief Mahaka for instead of a pony? ;D

Chapter 26

****************************************H50******************************************

Three hours later, Steve stood perfectly still, staring straight ahead through the one-way mirror.

Wo Fat had just been brought into the interrogation room, after being treated and released by Hawaii Medical Center's ER. Steve looked with satisfaction at Wo Fat's right hand, which was bandaged and now somewhat mirrored his own.

Wo Fat sat in a chair, his back ramrod straight and his hands resting lightly on top of the table. His clothing looked relatively fresh and crisp, which was remarkable considering he had not only been involved in a firefight, but Steve had also shot and tackled him to the ground. His face was emotionless, almost pleasant, as he looked straight ahead at the mirror, exuding a calm that belied the circumstances. If not for a bit of dried blood, a bandaged hand, and the stark nature of the interrogation room, Wo Fat would have looked like he was patiently waiting for his dinner date to arrive.

_SOB probably thinks he's going to walk,_ Steve scoffed. They would have to make sure the judge's identity was kept a secret so Wo Fat could not get to him or her again. Although, Steve reminded himself, bitterly, it might not have been Wo Fat that intimidated the judge last time at all; it could have been the Governor.

The door to the viewing room opened, and Chief Mahaka stepped inside, joining Steve and the Five-0 team. He set down the brown accordion file he was carrying on the small table by the door and walked over and stood to the left side of Steve, Danny standing on his right. Chin, Kono, and Kaye were leaning against the back wall.

"I'm sorry I can't let you be in there," the chief said, inclining his head towards Wo Fat. "I'd love to see if you could get something out of him. But we have to be by the book; we can't risk the case getting thrown out on a technicality."

Steve nodded, his intense gaze still focused on Wo Fat. "I know. And I appreciate the thought, but it really doesn't matter who goes in there. He's going to lawyer up before they can ask a single question."

"Well, it looks like we're about to find out," Danny said as the door to the interrogation room opened. He recognized Detective Acua, who had taken his statement at the fingerprint forger's house, as he stepped through the door.

But before he even made it all the way into the room, Wo Fat turned his head toward the detective and said, calmly, "I would like my lawyer."

And that was it. The interrogation was over.

"Wow," Kono remarked, eyebrows raised, "that was… anticlimactic."

"No kidding," Danny replied, looking at his watch. "It only took three seconds. I should have made a bet on that."

"Trust me, brah," Chin said, shaking his head, "nobody would have taken that bet. Not even Kamekona."

Steve watched as Detective Acua retreated back out the door, closing it behind him. Wo Fat turned his head back towards the one-way mirror and smiled smugly, knowing Steve would be standing on the other side.

Steve remained expressionless, refusing to let Wo Fat get to him. "Did you get his iPhone?" he asked Chief Mahaka.

"Yes," the chief nodded. "We've logged it in as evidence and just sent it over to the crime lab for analysis. Charlie Fong said he should be able to retrieve the log with the geographical coordinates and time and date stamps without a problem."

Steve nodded. "Charlie's a good tech."

"He is," Chief Mahaka agreed. "He also said he could take Wo Fat's voice off one of the calls we recorded from the wire tap on his phone and run a voice analysis on the tape you made at the Governor's mansion. If the voices match, and they should, that will give us two pieces of evidence to place him at the scene of the Governor's murder. Add those to your eyewitness testimony, and Wo Fat should go down for her murder."

"Good. What do you have on him for Laura Hills?" Steve asked.

"Not as much." The chief shook his head. "We have Governor Jameson and Wo Fat discussing blowing up Ms. Hills' car on one of the tapes we found in the mansion. Voice analysis should be able to confirm that as well. And, we have his signature use of the claymore mine. That's all we have for now. But it should still be enough to get him convicted, at least for conspiracy to commit murder."

Steve nodded again, his jaw taut. He was hoping for more evidence on Laura's murder. But even if conspiracy was the most they could charge Wo Fat with for her death, Steve took some comfort in knowing a conviction for conspiracy would carry the same penalty as an outright murder charge.

With one conviction for murder and one conviction for conspiracy to commit murder, Wo Fat would be looking at up to two life sentences. Add to that multiple counts of attempted first degree murder from today's festivities, and Wo Fat would die an old man in a prison cell.

_Which is better than he deserves_, Steve thought.

Steve had committed his life to justice, to protecting the innocent from evil. And the man sitting in front of him in the interrogation room was the embodiment of pure evil. A piece of Steve, actually a very large piece, wanted nothing more than to tear Wo Fat apart, limb from limb. But an even larger part of him wanted to see justice served. To see Wo Fat punished. For Laura Hills. For Kaye's fiancé. And for his parents.

So, he would wait. Wait for the hearings, the trials, and, ultimately, the sentencings. And he would trust that the comfort and healing provided by justice being served would outweigh the visceral satisfaction of a bloody revenge.

Steve was pulled back from his thoughts when he heard Danny speaking.

"Did you get Sang Min back into protective custody all right?" Danny asked Chief Mahaka.

"Yes," the chief nodded and then he chuckled. "Although I have to tell you, I would have loved to have been there when you found him."

"It was priceless," Danny grinned, clearly pleased. "It's not every day you get to see a slime ball like Sang Min scared to death and curled up in a bathtub like a baby. I only wish I'd taken pictures."

"Me, too." The chief grinned back. "Well, I have to get back to my office and take care of a few things," he said and extended his hand towards Steve. "Thank you."

Steve finally turned away from Wo Fat and looked at the chief as he shook his hand. "My pleasure," he said, sincerely.

Chief Mahaka shook hands with the rest of the team, and then turned to go. He stopped by the door, noticing the accordion file. He picked it up and carried it over to Steve, handing it to him. "I almost forgot. Here's the information you requested a few days ago."

Steve took the file and nodded. "Thanks, Chief."

The chief left the room, leaving the Five-0 members by themselves.

"What's in the file?" Kaye asked, curiously.

"Oh. Just some loose ends," Steve replied, then turned back to look at Wo Fat, who was still sitting calmly at the table and staring straight ahead. After one last, long look, Steve turned his back to the mirror and, more importantly, to Wo Fat.

He slowly looked each member of his team in the eye. First Danny, followed by Chin, Kono, and Kaye. Then, for the first time in days, Steve genuinely smiled.

"Anyone up for dinner?" he asked.

Danny grinned at his partner. "You buying?"

Steve nodded. "You bet."

"We're in," Kono said, Chin nodding beside her.

"Me, too," Kaye chimed in.

"And I'm definitely in," Danny replied. "I wouldn't want to miss this historic occasion."

"Which occasion is that?" Steve questioned with a smile as he opened the door and held it for his friends. "Catching Wo Fat or me buying dinner?"

"Both," Danny laughed, the last one to exit the room. He clapped Steve on the back as the door closed and they walked down the hall.

On the other side of the one-way mirror, Wo Fat continued to sit perfectly still at the table, staring straight ahead, trying to intimidate a foe that was no longer there.

***H50***

Several hours and many laughs later, the team left the Tropics Bar and Grill and headed their separate ways.

"Now that was a good day," Danny said, as he pulled the Camaro out of the parking lot and onto Kalia Road, heading towards Steve's house.

"Yes, it was," Steve agreed with a smile.

"You really weren't kidding about being able to shoot left-handed, were you?" Danny asked, looking over from the driver's seat. "Shooting a gun out of someone's hand is pretty hard. Your aim must be remarkably good."

"I'm glad you think so." Steve looked at Danny and grinned. "Because I was aiming for his head."

Danny chuckled and shook his head, looking back at the road. "Sure you were, Inigo. And, I have to say, shooting Wo Fat in the right hand was very poetic."

Steve glanced down at his splinted hand and nodded, still grinning. "I thought so."

But even better than poetic justice was real justice. They had caught Wo Fat and he would answer for his crimes; all of them. And the best part was they did it by working together, just like in the good old days when Five-0 was still officially together with immunity and means. But now that Wo Fat had been captured, Steve couldn't help but wonder where that left the team. His team. Would they get reinstated? And would Danny still leave, regardless?

"Earth to Steve," Danny said, interrupting Steve's thoughts. "Come in, Steve."

Steve glanced quickly over at Danny, then looked back down. "Sorry about that."

"What were you thinking about? And don't say 'nothing'. You ignored my excellent verbal sparring for at least a full minute, so I know it was important. So, tell me."

Steve wasn't a man who buried his head in the sand. His career, and his very survival, had always depended upon uncovering the facts and using them to his advantage. Successful operations often hinged on the quality of the Intel. Contrary to popular belief, what you don't know actually _can_ hurt, or possibly even kill you; especially if you are in the field or on the battleground.

But for the past few days, Steve found himself in the unique position of _not_ wanting to know the facts; at least not the ones concerning Danny. Steve had considered bringing up the subject of Danny leaving for days, ever since the charges had been dropped against them. But he had been reluctant to do so, for one simple reason. He was afraid he would be told the one answer he didn't want to hear; the one answer he couldn't accept. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss.

But now that they had caught Wo Fat, there really was no reason for Danny to stay in Hawaii. Grace and Rachel needed him and they were thousands of miles away. He could not keep pretending that everything would just continue as it was. It was time for Steve to ask the question.

"I was just wondering if you had, you know, made up your mind yet," he said with a shrug. He began adjusting his splint, afraid if he looked at Danny, he would read the answer in Danny's eyes.

"About what?" Danny asked.

"Jersey."

"Oh."

It was quiet for a moment as a deafening silence settled between them, like an invisible and unwanted third person in the car.

Finally, Danny scrubbed the lower half of his face and sighed. "We haven't made any firm plans yet. But I might be able to convince Rachel to come back. Last time we talked, she said New Jersey wasn't exactly how she remembered it. And Grace misses her friends here."

"Wait…" Steve immediately stopped fiddling with his splint and looked up and over at Danny. "Are you saying you'd rather live in Hawaii than New Jersey?" he asked, incredulously.

"No," Danny said with a grin. "I am saying my wife and daughter _might_ rather live in Hawaii than in New Jersey. And I will be wherever they are. So, I guess it all depends on whether or not I have a job here."

"I'm sure if you wanted to stay, HPD would take you back, especially after today," Steve offered, hopefully.

"Maybe," Danny hedged. He scratched the right side of his face and then dropped his hand back to the steering wheel. "It's just…" his voice trailed off and he was silent for a minute.

"It's just… what?" Steve finally prodded.

Danny sighed and looked over at Steve. "It's just that it won't be the same."

Steve nodded at his friend with understanding. "I know."

The rest of the drive was quiet until Danny pulled up to a stop in front of Steve's house. Steve picked up the accordion file the chief had given him, tucked it under his right arm, and put his left hand on the door handle.

"You need any help?" Danny asked.

"Nah, I'm good."

"I meant with that," Danny said, nodding towards the file.

"It's personal, Danny," Steve replied.

"And yet the Police Chief is the one who gave it to you. Does it involve a crime?"

Steve sighed. There really wasn't getting anything past Danny; he was too good of a detective.

"Yes."

"Ok," Danny nodded. "If it's a crime that interests you, then it's a crime that interests me. I'll be here at ten o'clock tomorrow morning and we can start working on it."

"At ten?" Steve asked with a grin, as he opened the car door. "What happened to our usual start time of seven?"

"I'm sleeping late tomorrow," Danny grinned back. "After the past few weeks, I think I've earned it."

Steve chuckled as he got out of the car. "Yes, I think you have."

He closed the door, tapped the hood of the car once, and stood back as Danny drove off. He smiled to himself as he watched the Camaro's taillights disappear, knowing that he and Danny would work together again tomorrow.

Apparently, Steve wasn't the only one who thought ignorance was bliss.

_To be continued…_

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	27. Chapter 27

Author's notes: Congratulations to moonjat54, who was the 500th reviewer! The two of us have already chatted and one of her ideas was a humorous story, where Steve and Chin try to take Danny spear fishing. So, that's what I'm going with. No timeline yet on when it will be posted, but it will probably be in a few weeks.

If you wanted to be the 500th reviewer and missed out, remember I'm going to also pick a review at random once this story is over. So, there is still another chance to "win." :)

Chapter 27

***********************************************H50**********************************************

Steve's phone began to ring the minute he walked through the back door of his house at 9:45 a.m. the next morning. He set down the bag of groceries he was carrying and pulled the phone out of his back pocket. The caller ID read, simply "Jameson's office," although Steve knew it was not Governor Jameson calling him from the grave.

_It must be the new Governor_, he thought. Steve pressed the "answer" button, while at the same time making a mental note to change the number's name. If he never heard or saw Jameson's name ever again, that would be fine with him. "McGarrett," he answered.

"Commander McGarrett," he heard a female voice say, "this is Kailani Kauhnu with the Governor's office."

Steve instinctively stood a little straighter. "Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you?"

"The Governor would like to see you in his office this afternoon, at 2:00 p.m."

Steve subconsciously glanced at his watch, even though he knew there was plenty of time. "May I ask what this meeting is about?" he asked.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Ms. Kauhnu apologized. "All I can tell you is the Governor requested your presence, as well as the presence of Danny Williams, Chin Ho Kelly, and Kono Kalakaua."

_So, he wants to meet with the entire team. _ Steve thought. _Well, the entire team, minus Kaye._ Not that he was surprised by the omission. Jenna was not an official member of Five-0; she was more of a loaner. And now that Wo Fat had been captured, she was headed to the CIA to see if she could get her old job back. She had said her goodbyes during dinner at the Hilton the night before.

"Alright," Steve nodded, "Please tell him that I'll be there."

"I'll tell the Governor to expect you at two o'clock. Goodbye, Commander."

"Goodbye." Steve took the phone down from his ear and looked at it for a moment, lost in thought, as he disconnected the call.

The Governor wanting to meet with the team could be either good or bad. Although, the only thing Steve could think of that would be worse than their current, non-paid, limbo status was a permanent disbanding of Five-0. Which was certainly within the new Governor's prerogatives; Jameson had created Five-0, not him, and he was under no obligation to let it continue.

But, looking on the bright side, they did just help HPD catch the former Governor's and Laura Hills' killer as well as expose Governor Jameson for the person she really was. And, with the discovery of Jameson's stash of tapes, there might be many more crimes HPD would be able to solve in the future.

Although Steve did not believe in karma, he did believe in goodwill. He hoped that their actions over the past few weeks had earned them some brownie points, maybe even enough to get Five-0 reinstated. That is, if the new Governor was willing to overlook a little thing like them stealing ten million dollars.

Steve's thoughts were interrupted as he heard the front door open, followed by Danny's voice.

"And can you tell me what this meeting is about?" Danny asked.

At first Steve thought Danny was talking to him, but as Steve stepped into the living room, he saw that Danny was on the phone. Steve turned the left side of his mouth up in a lopsided grin. Evidently, Danny had been the next call on Ms. Kauhnu's list. And Danny, in true Danny fashion, would ask her a million questions_. Heaven help her…_

"How do I know if I want to come if I don't even know what the meeting's about?" Danny asked as he shut the front door behind him and walked into the living room. He glanced up at Steve, who was now leaning against the entryway to the kitchen, and lifted his head up minutely in acknowledgement.

"You're not at liberty to say?" Danny's eyebrows shot up along with his voice. "What does that even mean?" he continued, entering full rant mode, hand gestures and all. "Does that mean that you don't know, and don't want to admit to me that you don't know? Or does that mean that you do know, and just don't want to tell me?"

Steve chuckled, imagining the poor lady's face on the other end of the line. Danny's tirades were a lot more amusing when you weren't on the receiving end. And while watching was fun, Steve did feel bad for Ms. Kauhnu and decided to help her out before Danny built up a full head of steam. He caught Danny's attention and made a slashing motion with his hand across his throat, telling him to cut it out.

Danny frowned, but got the message. "Ok," he sighed. "I'll be there. Yeah. Goodbye." He hung up the phone and then looked at Steve. "Why'd you cut me off? I was just getting started."

Steve pushed off the threshold and stood up, shoving his left hand into his pants pocket. "Because you were driving her crazy and interrogating her wasn't going to get you anywhere." He grinned and then continued, "you know, for someone who loves self-help books, sometimes you are absolutely clueless about office politics."

Danny snorted. "That's rich, coming from you."

"Meaning…" Steve probed, still smiling.

"Meaning you view people as speed bumps when you're trying to get answers."

"Criminals, sure," Steve shrugged, indifferently, "but not poor, defenseless assistants from the Governor's office. They don't get paid enough to listen to you rant."

"And here I thought listening to my witty insight was a perk of the job," Danny groused as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "Since you evidently knew who I was talking to, I take it she called you as well?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah. I talked to her a few minutes ago."

"Great. We're all getting summoned." Danny dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and then ran his hands up over his forehead and across his hair. Then he opened his eyes, looked at Steve, and sighed. "So, do you think the Governor wants to resurrect Five-0 from the dead or bury it for good?"

Steve shook his head. "I wish I knew."

***H50***

Four hours later, Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono were all assembled, standing and waiting in the reception area outside of the Governor's office.

"This déjà vu thing is getting old," Danny grumbled, looking around the room. "I feel like I keep getting sent to the principal's office. It's like third grade all over again."

"What were you doing in third grade that got you into so much trouble?" Kono asked with a slight grin.

"Nothing, really," Danny replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "My teachers just thought I talked too much. Darn nuns."

Kono snorted, but upon seeing Danny's face, she managed to turn it into cough.

"Glad you all find that so amusing," Danny said crossly, taking in Steve and Chin's suppressed grins as well.

"It's not amusing, Danny," Steve managed to say with a straight face as he clasped Danny on the back. "It's just good to know that some things never change."

Steve dropped his hand as the door to the Governor's office swung open and several assistants filed out. One of them approached the team and introduced herself as Ms. Kauhnu. "The Governor will see you now," she said, sweeping her hand wide towards the open door.

The team all looked at each other and then walked inside the Governor's office, Steve leading the way.

The Governor was a large man, and when he rose up from behind his desk to greet them, he was slightly taller than McGarrett. Although he had been Jameson's Lieutenant Governor, this was the first time the members of Five-0 had met him. _Another example of Jameson keeping things close to the vest,_ Steve thought. None of them knew anything about the man, and knew even less of what to expect from him.

"Commander McGarrett," the Governor said, stepping out from behind his desk and offering his hand.

"Governor," Steve replied, with a nod and a handshake.

Introductions were made, refreshments were offered and declined, and they all took a seat before the Governor brought up the subject of the meeting.

"Chief Mahaka tells me you've done some good work over the past few weeks," the Governor began, leaning back in the chair behind his desk. "He also said you were instrumental in capturing Wo Fat."

"Thank you, Governor." Steve nodded.

As the Governor raised his eyebrows and pressed his fingertips together, his tone becoming less congenial. "He also informed me of some of your more… unorthodox methods. Particularly, the use and subsequent disposal of ten million dollars which did not belong to you." He looked at Steve first, followed by Kono, Chin, and then Danny.

_Leave it to a politician to find a pretty way to say you stole a whole lot of money and got it chunked into a campfire,_ Danny thought.

The Governor stared at them for a few moments, and when nobody spoke, he continued.

"The Five-0 task force was Jameson's idea, not mine. I have been doubtful of the need for such a group since the beginning. After all, we have very good detectives and an excellent SWAT team within HPD." He paused for a moment, and again, nobody spoke.

_Stop beating around the bush and just spit it out, _Steve thought_._

"However," the Governor continued, "you did expose Governor Jameson for who she really was. To permanently disband the task force now would look like retaliation. And the last thing this office needs is more bad PR."

Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono glanced at each other quickly, each trying to make sure they actually heard the Governor correctly.

_We're not being disbanded… we're getting our jobs back…_

Unfortunately, their silent celebration did not last long.

The Governor leaned forward in his chair, folding his hands on his desk. "Effective immediately, the Five-0 task force is reinstated, but with one condition."

"What condition?" Steve asked quickly, not liking the sound of it.

"I will appoint a person to your task force as well."

"You're giving us a baby-sitter?" Steve asked, angrily.

"Call it whatever you will, Commander McGarrett, but you will treat her as a full team member. If you try to circumvent or work without her, in any way, I will hear about it." The Governor looked at Steve pointedly. "You will accept her, or Five-0 is over. For good. Do I make myself clear?"

Steve clenched his jaw and stared back at the Governor. He did not like the intrusion on his team and he was particularly offended by the Governor's ultimatum. Having someone on his team, whom he did not know, whom he did not pick, and who would most likely tattle on them to the Governor did not set well with him. At all.

But Steve knew he was not the only person who would be impacted if he refused. This was a chance, for all of them, to work and stay together. If he refused, Chin would remain at HPD. Kono might join HPD as well. He would go back to the Navy; provided, of course, that they didn't decide to kick him out. And Danny… well, Danny would move back to New Jersey.

If he wanted his team to stay together, he had no choice but to agree. It would be uncomfortable for a while, but Steve knew they could do it. A lifetime in the Navy had given him plenty of experience following orders he did not like.

He turned away from the Governor and looked at Danny, then Chin, and finally Kono. Each of them conveyed the same thing with their eyes.

Steve turned back to the Governor and nodded. "Ok. When will she start?"

***H50***

"Well, that went almost as well as can be expected," Chin said quietly as they left the Governor's office and walked down the hallway.

"Yeah," Steve agreed, blowing out a large breath. He glanced at his watch. "I know it's a bit early, but this is a special occasion. How about we head over to Sidestreet to celebrate?"

"I'm game," Kono agreed with a sly smile. "That is, if my boss says it's ok."

Steve laughed. "Your boss says it's fine."

"Speaking of bosses," Chin grinned, "I need to stop by HPD and tell mine that I have a new one. I'll meet you guys there."

"Sounds good, Chin." Steve smiled. "We'll see you in a few."

Steve looked over at Danny, who had pulled out his phone and pressed #3 on his speed dial.

"You need to talk to your boss, too?" Steve teased.

"You know it, babe," Danny said, grinning as he held the phone up to his ear. "It's time she and my daughter came home."

_To be continued…_

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	28. Chapter 28

Author's notes: This is the last week, guys. After today, we only have the epilogue to go!

And for those who were concerned that I included/mentioned the new people in the last chapter, rest assured, they are not the focus of the rest of the story. I only put them in there because I really couldn't do a reinstatement scene without them. So, never fear- we will spend all of our remaining time with the fab four, mainly Steve and Danny. :)

Chapter 28

***************************************H50*****************************************

"And your names?"

"McGarrett," Steve replied.

"Williams," Danny added.

"Credentials?" the guard asked, sounding bored.

Steve and Danny handed over their 5-0 identification, their badges visibly clipped on their waistbands. They had left their guns in the car.

The guard studied the credentials for a minute, and then looked up at the partners to compare their faces to the photo IDs. He stared a little harder at Steve, as if trying to remember where he had seen him before. Finally, unable to place him, the guard gave up and looked back down at his paperwork. He logged them in, and then handed back their creds.

"Wait over there," he said pointing by a door. "Someone will let you inside in a minute."

"Thank you," Steve said with a nod.

"I thought he was going to recognize you," Danny said, under his breath as they moved to the door.

"Yeah, me too," Steve replied, glad they had avoided the hassle. It was just easier when he didn't have to explain.

After a few minutes, another guard came to the door. A buzzer sounded, and the door released. The guard opened the door and allowed them to pass, closing the door behind them. After a quick walk down a hallway, he opened another door for them. "Wait in here," the guard said, motioning to the room. "We'll bring him to you in a minute."

"Thanks," Danny told him before he disappeared behind the closing door.

Steve walked over to one of the cubbies and set down the accordion file he has been carrying under his right arm.

"I'll bet this place looks a lot better from this side," Danny mused, looking around the dingy white cinderblock visitation room.

"You have no idea," Steve snorted.

It was hard to believe that he was here only two short weeks ago. Well, two weeks, one day, and seventeen hours ago. Not that Steve was counting. Or Danny, either, for that matter.

A lot can happen in two weeks. Two weeks ago, Steve was under arrest, Kono was being investigated by IA, Chin had rejoined HPD, and Danny was left trying to hold everything together without any authority to do so.

And now, today, everything was back the way it should be. The way it always should have been. And, hopefully, the way it always would be.

Steve looked down at his splint, thankful that his hand was the only thing he had left to take care of from the two weeks from hell. Well, almost.

A loud buzzer sounded, followed by the clunk of a door releasing. Steve looked up just in time to see Victor Hesse walk through the door on the other side of the Plexiglas.

If he was surprised to see Steve and Danny, he did not let on. He paused for a moment, looking them up and down, particularly Steve. He was somewhat disappointed to see all of Steve's bruises had faded and that the cut on his right jaw had now faded to a dull pink, the stitches long since removed. But he smirked when he looked at Steve's still-splinted hand.

It was enough to make both Steve and Danny want to deck him. Hard.

His appraisal complete, Hesse walked over to the cubby and slowly pulled back the blue, plastic chair. He sat down and then leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, disdain evident on his face.

Steve took a seat opposite Hesse, on the visitor side, while Danny remained standing behind him on his left. Steve picked up the old fashioned black phone receiver in his left hand and held it in the air between Danny and himself so they both could speak and hear.

Hesse sat there for a moment, staring at them and trying to gain the upper hand by making them wait. Finally, he sat up, picked up his receiver, and smiled.

"Nice splint," he said, mockingly.

"Black always was my color," Steve said with a smile, refusing to give Hesse the satisfaction.

"I thought you looked nice when you were all covered in red," Hesse said, condescendingly.

"Not as nice as you look in orange," Steve retorted, glancing at Hesse's prison jumpsuit. "I guess it's a good thing you'll be wearing it for a long, long time."

Hesse's smile faded. "Why are you here, McGarrett?"

"I wanted to give you the good news in person."

"And what news is that?"

"Oh, just that you'll be spending a little more time in here than you planned. Like, say," Steve looked up at the ceiling for a minute, making a show of counting in his head, before he looked back at Hesse, "another 35 to 45 years or so."

Hesse clenched his jaw. "And how do you figure that?" he growled.

"Well, felony assault and battery will get you two to twenty, and we have you on two counts of that; one for me, one for the guard you knocked out. Then there are three counts of bribery, and those are five years each. So, I think 35 to 45 is reasonable. But if you want to look on the bright side, it could be up to 55. I was just hedging to be nice." Steve smiled coldly.

"You have nothing on me," Hesse snarled.

"Now, you see, that's where you're wrong," Danny said. He opened up the accordion file and pulled out a stack of papers. "When our friends at the Sheriff's department got stuck on their investigation into what happened here, Chief Mahaka gave them a call on our behalf. They agreed to let us take a peek at their files and you'll never believe what we found."

Danny pulled a bank statement off the top of the stack and shoved it against the Plexiglas. "Lookie here, Jake Turner, prison guard, came into $9,312 just two weeks ago. Said he got an inheritance."

Danny pulled down the bank statement and then picked up the next paper off the stack, also shoving it against the glass.

"And here we have Isaiah Jennings, another guard, who deposited $6,325 in cash into his account ten days ago. Said he got a payment from a side business he runs. Which, I guess was sort of true. But if I were him, I'd be mad that I got a lot less than Turner. Of course, Turner had to rat out McGarrett and stand outside the shower, where he took a blow to the noggin and got a concussion. So, maybe it was a fair deal after all," he shrugged.

Danny pulled down the paper and replaced it one more time. "And finally, we have Mano Hiram, the guard in the prison library. He took in $6,468 twelve days ago. Said he won it gambling. Maybe from one of those crazy chicken fights that some misguided people around here mistake for a sport. Or, maybe not." He took the paper down and placed it beside the stack.

"That proves nothing," Hesse smiled, looking back at Steve. "Other than a few prison guards got a little richer."

Steve smiled back. "True. By itself, this proves nothing. All the deposits were in cash, and the guards each had family members lie for them to back up their stories. Which is why the Sheriff's department got stuck." Steve leaned forward, closer to the Plexiglas, and looked closely at Hesse. "But we knew about something they didn't."

Hesse leaned forward as well, matching Steve's intense gaze. "And what's that?" Hesse sneered.

"Aloha Enterprises."

Steve watched with satisfaction as Hesse's face wavered for a second, before he quickly, and firmly, put his sneer back in place.

Hesse leaned back, away from the glass. "What's Aloha Enterprises?"

"Like you don't know," Danny snorted.

Steve smiled and leaned back as well, his eyes never wavering from Hesse. "Aloha Enterprises is that nice, little shell corporation your boss, Wo Fat, set up to help launder money, pay bills, all sorts of things that he didn't want traced back to him. Or to his closest business associates and employees. Like you."

To his credit, Hesse's face did not waver again. "You have no proof."

Steve handed the receiver to Danny as motioned with his head towards the file.

"Wrong again," Danny chuckled as he slid the accordion file over to Steve. "This is getting fun."

Steve found the piece of paper he wanted and took it out of the file. He shoved it against the Plexiglas, right in front of Hesse's face. "Here we have a bank statement for Lane's Flowers, your little piece of the Aloha Enterprise's pie. And, what do you know, 16 days ago, the same day I got here, $22,105 was withdrawn. In cash. Which is the exact amount you get when you add up all the deposits made by the guards."

"Coincidence," Hesse replied, nonchalantly.

Steve took down the paper and looked coldly at Hesse. "We didn't think so. And neither did the Sheriff's department. They were only too happy to let us question the guards yesterday. And, when we presented each of them with the evidence and a plea deal, they couldn't roll on you quickly enough."

Hesse's face froze and he sat silently for a few moments, trying to decide if McGarrett was bluffing. Finally, he decided to hedge his bets. "You had no authority to do that," he said, his voice low.

Steve smiled to himself. He was finally getting to Hesse. _Danny was right,_ he thought. _This is getting fun._ He scratched at the stubble on his jaw for a minute, enjoying Hesse's tension. Then he spoke.

"Actually, we do. I guess you didn't hear, but the new Governor reinstated us a couple of days ago. And, by the way, Wo Fat should be joining you here in Halawa very shortly."

The surprise on Hesse's face was unmistakable. Evidently, he had not heard either piece of news.

Steve continued. "So, we have plenty of authority to not only make the deals, but to make sure you get everything you have coming to you."

Then he leaned forward again, his face cold and threatening, just inches away from the glass. "And I do mean _everything_," he emphasized for good measure. "So, if I were you, I'd watch my back in the shower."

Hesse could feel anger and hatred burning on his face. Along with something else he was not used to feeling.

Fear.

"Oh, and one more thing," Steve added, before Hesse could get up and walk away.

Hesse glared at Steve, menacingly.

Steve leaned forward, his face inches from the glass, his burning gaze easily matching Hesse's in intensity.

"Round two. _I win._ Game over."

_To be continued…._

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	29. Epilogue

Author's note: Here it is, guys- the last chapter! Can you believe we made it? I have a lot I want to say, but I know you would rather read. So, if you are so inclined, please see the author's note after the epilogue for excessive rambling. Really, really excessive. You've been warned.

Epilogue

***************************************H50*****************************************

Everyone else had left a few minutes ago, allowing him some privacy.

Steve stood there, alone, his jacket on; his left arm in the sleeve, the right side draped over his body and splint. He looked down at the ground and stared.

His eyes searched for the edge of the boundary. It was not as clearly defined as it was three weeks ago. Time and rain had flattened the mound, encouraging the surrounding grass to grow. Fresh, bright green runners now stretched out, reaching onto and across the brown earth. In a few more weeks, the grass would take over and the starkness would fade, the grave becoming like all the others.

The light wind ruffled the American flag, which was planted at the top of the grave. A white marble headstone had been placed next to it, permanently fixed into the ground. It was simple and classic, just like the woman it represented.

It read simply:  
>Laura Hills<br>1973-2011  
>At Peace Forever<p>

"I hope you are at peace, Laura," Steve said softly.

The morning sun shone brightly as he stood there, with only a few puffy clouds dotting the brilliant blue sky. He could hear the birds chirping happily in the nearby trees, not caring that their habitat was a place of sorrow for many. Although, today their singing did not seem out of place to Steve; in fact, it felt appropriate.

"We did catch Wo Fat," he continued, looking back down. "He'll go to prison for murdering you. And everyone knows what the Governor did. And who she really was."

Steve shifted his weight but this time, he did not hear the soft clink of metal, his wool jacket stifling all sound.

He almost did not wear his uniform today. Still unsure of his status with the Navy, he thought it would be better if he paid his respects in a suit. But just before he left the house, there was a knock on the door. He went to answer it, finding a Navy Ensign on the other side.

"Commander McGarrett?"

Steve nodded, finding his mouth suddenly as dry as the Sahara.

"This is for you," the young ensign said, holding out an envelope with his name typed on it and the official Navy logo embossed as the return address.

Steve signed the clipboard the ensign held out to him, acknowledging receipt of the letter. Then he went inside and closed the door, thankful for the privacy.

He stood there for a moment in the living room, gathering his resolve.

This was it. The letter inside held how he would serve and where he would live in the present. It held what he could expect in his future. And it contained how his and his family's legacy would be remembered in the past.

He blew out a long breath and then turned the envelope over, slitting it open on the seam. He withdrew the letter, unfolded it, and began to read.

Upon finishing, he tucked the letter back inside the envelope, placed in on the mantel, and smiled.

Then he went upstairs to change.

The Bronze star and Purple Heart now adorned his chest, along with all the other commendations and flags he had earned over his course of service in the Navy.

There were no medals or flags handed out for civilian service, no remembrances of your victories to wear on your chest. But none were needed. The satisfaction of a job well done was enough.

However, Steve did have one regret.

He continued to look down, carefully studying the spray of white roses backed by palm fronds they had placed at the base of the headstone when they arrived. The sweet scent wafted up into the air, its fragrant tendrils tickling at his nose, and he inhaled. He was silent for a moment, and then sighed.

"I'm sorry I didn't figure it out earlier," he apologized, quietly, and then paused before he continued. "If I'd known where the key fit, I would have found your information and put it all together sooner. And then, maybe, you'd still be here with us… alive."

He turned to his left and saw Danny standing in the parking lot, beside the Camaro, dressed in his Newark PD uniform. Danny was squinting in the bright morning sunlight and even at this distance, Steve could see both the patience and encouragement on his face.

He glanced at Kono's car parked behind the Camaro. Chin and Kono were both standing there, waiting for him, each dressed in their HPD uniform and wearing the same expressions as Danny.

Steve knew each one of them would stand there all day if he needed them to, literally watching his back and providing support.

But he didn't. He was almost finished.

He looked back down at the headstone and at the American flag, still dancing in the breeze.

He cleared his throat and said, solemnly, "thank you, Laura. I'll never forget what you did. For me. And for my team."

He turned and glanced at Danny, Chin, and Kono. Then he looked back at Laura's headstone one last time before nodding once. "Good bye, Laura."

His words said, Steve turned and walking towards the cars. He stopped when he reached his team, standing in front of them.

"You ok, Boss?" Chin asked.

Steve looked Chin in the eye and nodded. "Yeah."

Danny opened the passenger side door of the Camaro for him, but Steve shook his head and walked around the car. "If it's ok with you, I'd like to drive."

"Are you asking permission?" Danny asked, grinning.

"Not really," Steve grinned back as he opened the driver's side door.

Danny chuckled and shook his head. "Didn't think so." He tossed the keys to Steve, who caught them in the air with his left hand.

Steve turned to Chin and Kono. "See you guys at the office," he said with a lift of his head and a smile.

"Will do," Chin said, as he and Kono both returned Steve's smile and opened the doors to Kono's car.

Steve took off his uniform jacket and carefully folded it, placing it in the back seat, and then removed his hat, setting it on top of the jacket. He slid in the driver's seat and started the car.

"Let's go, partner," Steve called to Danny, who was still standing outside the open car door, waving once to Kono and Chin as they drove past.

He looked over at Danny as he climbed in the passenger seat and closed the door.

Then Steve smiled, his eyes sparkling. "We've got work to do."

_The End_

****************************************H50******************************************

Author's notes: (Let the rambling begin…)

First of all, I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for reading and hanging in there with me all summer. I enjoyed writing this story, but what I really love is the interaction with you guys, the readers. I've said before that you are the reason I write, and that still holds true. You are. So, thank you for sharing your summer with me and I hope I made yours a little bit better, as well.

I also need to thank my wonderful betas, Cokie316 and Rogue Tomato. They are both fantastic writers, betas, and friends and getting to hang out with them (virtually) has been a bright spot in my summer. I may have spent a lot of time writing this story, but they also spent a lot of time making it better. So, thank you, ladies, for your time, patience, and thoughts. And for not killing me for misspelling "Hesse" as "Heese" about 18 million times. I promise, one day I *will* spell it right. :D

And an extra thank you goes to Cokie, who refused to let me chicken-out of writing this story. I don't think anyone, other than Cokie, knows that "Enemies" almost didn't happen. Long story kinda-short, I actually started plotting and writing this story before the season finale aired (thanks for spoiler pics, Peter! :D) Then, on the night of the finale, I got horribly sick. I was up most of the night and when I finally did fall asleep, I had honest to goodness nightmares about how I was going to incorporate the revelations I hadn't guessed into this story. By the time morning rolled around, I was freaking-out and wanted nothing more than to literally chunk my computer out the (still closed) window and never think of H50 again. (And I can assure you, had I not already written two chapters by this point, I never would have started). And Cokie talked me down off the ledge. She assured me it would all work out, told me reviews would make me feel better, and kept emailing me, telling me to post, until I finally gave in and posted chapter 1. (and once I posted, it was a done deal, because I refuse to post a story I won't finish). And you know what? Cokie was right. It did work out. And your reviews did make me feel better. So, thank you, Cokie, and thank you to everyone who reviewed (or alerted) chapter 1, especially the readers who reviewed on the first day- moonjat54, attyboy, raefhn, rogue tomato, cokie316, shirik, azgirl, sparkesann, poohbear-29, and annic. You have no idea how much your kind words meant to a poor, miserable little sickie like me.

As to what's up next, I do have a couple of one-shots to post in the next few weeks. The first one, titled "Cargument", is just a fun little banter story. It is also a companion piece/sequel to "Control Issues", although it can easily stand on its own. So, if you liked "Control Issues" (or even if you didn't or never read it), please check it out.

The second one, titled "Cars, Camaros, and Closets" (title subject to change), is hard to define. It's part character study, part banter, and a little bittersweet. The closest thing I have to compare it to is "Beer and Taxes." So, I would love it if you would check it out as well.

And then, of course, I will write the one-shots for our "review winners" and post them as soon as possible as well. No timeline on those yet, so if you want to read them, please check back or just go crazy and put me on author alert. ;) (and, as a reminder, I'll pick the "random review winner" on Monday and notify them via pm. So, check your inboxes on Monday! You could be a winner! ;D)

So, with all the announcements (and my rambling) over, I offer a final, hearty "thank you" for your time and friendship. I love you guys and I hope to see you again. Hugs.

sockie :D


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